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CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — There was a time not too way back when Mikaela Shiffrin may need brooded and sulked over a serious mistake that value her a gold medal.
Not anymore.
The American skier has a unique outlook now.
Shiffrin was all smiles after settling for bronze within the super-G on the world championships on Thursday — capable of shortly transfer on mentally from a mistake towards the top of an in any other case excellent run.
“A medal doesn’t change your life,” mentioned Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic champion who gained the super-G on the earlier worlds two years in the past. “There’s greater issues.”
She ought to know. As a result of Shiffrin’s life has been upended over the past 12 months.
Her father, Jeff Shiffrin, died following an accident on the household’s house in Edwards, Colorado, final February. Then the outbreak of the coronavirus in Europe lower brief the World Cup season in mid-March simply when Shiffrin was trying a comeback.
The pandemic vastly restricted Shiffrin’s alternatives for coaching through the summer season and a tweaked again pressured her to sit down out the season-opener in October, delaying her comeback by 5 extra weeks.
Which makes it all of the extra spectacular that Shiffrin got here away with a medal from her first super-G race in additional than a 12 months.
“The issues I’ve skilled this 12 months and at the present time are literally separate,” Shiffrin mentioned. “As a lot as I might need to join it and say that it was in some way destiny that I might come to the super-G and all of this stuff have come collectively and like (be) some future factor, it’s not.
“I had an excellent plan and I used to be capable of execute it for essentially the most half in all places. In order that’s satisfying nevertheless it’s extra a testomony to my coaches and the crew serving to me get the fitting preparation and having the precise proper perspective right here than it’s about any of the tragedies that occurred.”
Shiffrin was flying down the sun-bathed Olympia delle Tofana course greater than a half-second sooner than anybody else when she drifted huge going over a small leap and needed to flail her proper arm and pole behind her physique to regain her steadiness with a purpose to clear the following gate.
The correction then pressured her off the racing line into mushy snow.
“I received actually pushed out huge and I felt like one of many course crews slipping the huge line, plowing snow,” Shiffrin mentioned. “That’s not quick.”
No surprise Shiffrin was shaking her head when she reached the end — despite the fact that because the fourth skier down she had taken the lead.
Shiffrin instantly knew that her lead was in danger and certain sufficient Corinne Suter, the following skier down, bumped her out of the highest spot. Then Lara Intestine-Behrami gained gold by ending 0.34 seconds forward of Suter, her Swiss teammate.
Shiffrin completed 0.47 seconds behind Intestine-Behrami.
“You possibly can have a look at it as a bummer or a extremely constructive factor — that I had a mistake like that and I nonetheless managed to get a medal,” Shiffrin mentioned. “I didn’t count on that earlier than the day however positively not once I was snowboarding the course and making that mistake and I used to be pondering, ‘Properly all I can do is tuck now, as a result of it’s flat and I misplaced all my velocity.’
“However the remainder of the course was simply a lot enjoyable to ski,” she added. “It was similar to butter. Simply wonderful. So my feeling after the day is mostly simply tremendous constructive.”
The super-G is the primary of 4 occasions that Shiffrin plans to ski at worlds. She’s additionally entered in subsequent week’s mixed, big slalom and slalom.
Already, although, Shiffrin has matched Lindsey Vonn with eight profession medals at worlds. What’s extra is that Shiffrin’s eight medals have are available in solely 10 races.
In her closing occasion at these championships, Shiffrin will purpose for a record-extending fifth straight slalom world title.
Don’t heap any expectations on her, although. Not after what she’s been by way of.
“The purpose is to not have expectations anyway as a result of the one factor that does is put strain on you and it’s tougher to supply the fitting snowboarding when you’ve gotten the strain,” Shiffrin mentioned. “As a result of it simply doesn’t matter. I’ve the plan. I need to ski and execute that and simply deal with that as a result of it’s the one method I’m going to benefit from the day.
“It doesn’t matter what occasion I do, having that mentality is at all times going to be extra enjoyable.”
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