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The 12 months that has modified Mikaela Shiffrin’s life might get a rare finish.
If she doesn’t win Tuesday’s World Cup slalom in Semmering, 2020 would change into the primary calendar 12 months since her maiden triumph in 2012 with out the American standout profitable a single race within the Colorado native’s strongest self-discipline.
Nevertheless, Shiffrin often does nicely on the Zauberberg course, profitable the floodlit race close to the Austrian capital of Vienna the final two occasions it was held, in 2016 and 2018.
“After 9 or 10 years, I’ve good reminiscences and unhealthy reminiscences at each place. In fact, I’ve had a extremely good feeling right here previously however it’s a brand new 12 months and I’m in a distinct place,” Shiffrin stated Monday.
“Simply because I had a very good race final time doesn’t imply I’m going to do nicely this time. So, it’s nonetheless like it’s important to work each day.”
Working is simply what Shiffrin has executed since profitable an enormous slalom in France two weeks in the past, her first victory since getting back from a 10-month break.
Extensively coaching her core occasions of slalom and GS at Reiteralm allowed her to “go into races with a powerful feeling.”
Shiffrin posted the fourth-fastest time within the opening run of Monday’s GS in Semmering earlier than the race was known as off as a result of sturdy winds.
“I’m fairly happy with my snowboarding normally,” Shiffrin stated after her run.
Shiffrin, the 2014 Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, has gained a document 43 slaloms, greater than another male or feminine skier within the 54-year historical past of the World Cup.
Her final win within the self-discipline got here at one other Austrian venue, Lienz, precisely one 12 months in the past.
Petra Vlhova, her Slovakian rival, gained the primary two slaloms of January in Zagreb and Flachau, earlier than Shiffrin’s life was turned the wrong way up by the demise of father, Jeff, in early February.
Whereas Shiffrin took a break, Vlhova gained one other race in Kranjska Gora in mid-February, which turned out to be the final slalom of the 2019-20 season because the remaining occasions have been canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The primary two slaloms of the present season, in Levi in November, have been additionally gained by Vlhova, with Shiffrin coming second and fifth, respectively, in her first races since January.
Whereas data and statistics have by no means been a main purpose of hers, Shiffrin gained’t be bothered an excessive amount of by the easy reality of not having gained a slalom for 12 months.
The 12 months has been “completely completely different” anyway, she stated.
“I believe lots of people really feel like, I gained in Courchevel, so which means like I’m completely again and issues are actually again to regular,” Shiffrin stated.
“I don’t see it that means. I really feel like, regular doesn’t exist. I didn’t like ‘come again’ in Courchevel. It’s all the time a course of. My whole profession has been a extremely lengthy course of and it hasn’t modified simply because I gained a race once more.”
Shiffrin, emotionally and virtually coping with the lack of father and having her low season preparations hampered by COVID-19 restrictions, felt like she’s needed to restart her profession and “relearn” issues.
“Considered one of these items is having a extremely sturdy efficiency in each races in the course of the weekend, having the ability to handle my power via two races throughout one weekend versus simply focusing on one,” she stated.
In Tuesday’s final slalom of the 12 months, Shiffrin will give attention to snowboarding nicely moderately than profitable — although the 2 parts have come collectively so many occasions over the previous 10 years.
“I actually don’t have any larger expectations than I usually would, having a traditional prep interval, a traditional season,” Shiffrin stated. “All the things has modified. I’m not actually evaluating it to years handed.”
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