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The yr 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 grow to be the primary calendar yr since her maiden triumph in 2012 with out the American standout successful a single race in her strongest self-discipline.
Nonetheless, Shiffrin often does nicely on the Zauberberg course, successful 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 recollections and unhealthy recollections at each place. In fact, I’ve had a very good feeling right here previously but it surely’s a brand new yr and I’m in a special place,” Shiffrin mentioned Monday.
“Simply because I had 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 accomplished since successful a large slalom in France two weeks in the past, her first victory since coming 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 consequence of sturdy winds.
“I’m fairly happy with my snowboarding basically,” Shiffrin mentioned after her run.
Shiffrin, the 2014 Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, has received a report 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 yr in the past.
Petra Vlhova, her Slovakian rival, received the primary two slaloms of January in Zagreb and Flachau, earlier than Shiffrin’s life was turned the wrong way up by the loss of life of father, Jeff, in early February.
Whereas Shiffrin took a break, Vlhova received 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 received 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 major purpose of hers, Shiffrin received’t be bothered an excessive amount of by the easy truth of not having received a slalom for 12 months.
The yr has been “completely totally different” anyway, she mentioned.
“I believe lots of people really feel like, I received in Courchevel, so meaning like I’m completely again and issues are actually again to regular,” Shiffrin mentioned.
“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 at all times a course of. My whole profession has been a very lengthy course of and it hasn’t modified simply because I received 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.
“One in every of these items is having a very sturdy efficiency in each races through the weekend, with the ability to handle my power by two races throughout one weekend versus simply concentrating on one,” she mentioned.
In Tuesday’s final slalom of the yr, Shiffrin will concentrate on snowboarding nicely moderately than successful — although the 2 components have come collectively so many occasions over the previous 10 years.
“I actually don’t have any increased expectations than I usually would, having a traditional prep interval, a traditional season,” Shiffrin mentioned. “Every thing has modified. I’m not actually evaluating it to years handed.”
Extra AP sports activities: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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