Alpine Skiers Cautiously Look Ahead to Beijing 2022

Mikaela Shiffrin talks to media in Cortina after profitable her fourth medal in slalom on Sunday. (ATR)

Because the two-week flagship occasion concluded on Sunday within the 1956 Olympic resort. some ski racers began to debate and look ahead, cautiously, to the game’s subsequent main championship, the Beijing 2022 Video games. Or maybe it has extra to do with journalists peppering them with questions concerning the subsequent Winter Video games, which at the moment are lower than one yr away.

“Put together for one thing you’ll be able to’t put together for,” says two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin, who medaled in 4 occasions in Cortina, tops on the championship. “All we are able to do is attempt to get a bit of bit again to regular…first we attempt to end the season this yr. Final yr, about this time, it was being canceled.

“Hoping this summer season we’ll be capable to get again to a bit of extra regular life for everybody. For athletes, that can assist us get extra regular preparation, gear testing and all of the issues that go into placing collectively good efficiency for a complete season, particularly when it’s an Olympic season,” mentioned the 25-year-old U.S. ski racing star.

“It’s like getting in blind – we’re all in the identical boat,’ Shiffrin mentioned, about Beijing 2022.

Switzerland’s Wendy Holdener, 27, who gained three medals in PyeongChang 2018 together with gold within the combined workforce occasion, anticipates what could possibly be her third Olympic Video games.

“I’m actually glad to go to Beijing, it’s an enormous purpose,” Holdener mentioned. “I beloved China, I visited earlier than so I’ll give my finest to be there subsequent yr, nevertheless it’s far-off in my head.”

For a lot of racers, Beijing 2022 stays an incredible unknown. Downhill and super-G check occasions scheduled for women and men – on the Chinese language Nationwide Alpine Snowboarding Middle within the Yanqing venue cluster – each had been canceled as a result of coronavirus and journey restrictions into China, in February of 2020 and 2021.

Japanese ski racer Asa Ando (ATR)

Japan’s Asa Ando, 24, who achieved a private finest tenth on this previous weekend’s girls’s slalom, hopes that athletes at Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 could have the chance to encourage the world.

“Now the entire world goes…so it’s actually a tough time,” Ando mentioned. “Athletes are superb performers and if the Olympic Video games will probably be potential, we can provide lots of people large energy and inspiration.”

The Cortina world championships proceeded with out main incident, with a four-bubble system carried out to restrict interplay between athletes and groups, workers, officers, and media. Almost 22,000 COVID assessments had been administered. Some 600 ski racers representing 71 nations competed on Cortina’s sunny slopes

Many athletes from non-traditional snowboarding nations have Olympic goals to satisfy.

India’s Arif Mohd Khan after the Cortina big slalom (ATR)

Arif Mohd Khan, a 30-year-old skier who grew up within the mountains of Indian Kashmir, hopes to qualify for his first Olympic Video games in Beijing. He believes his finest probability is in slalom, and definitely not the quicker and extra harmful velocity occasions.

“I don’t care about that,” Khan mentioned of racing downhill and super-G.“I actually love to observe downhills and super-Gs as a result of they’re the superhuman individuals. I attempted a few races nevertheless it was not my cup of tea.”

Hubertus von Hohenlohe, the flamboyant 62-year-old Mexican prince, who resides in Cortina, has already participated at six Olympic Winter Video games and is aiming for yet another.

“I’ll attempt to qualify and see what occurs,” mentioned von Hohenlohe, whose household reigned over a principality in modern-day Germany till the nineteenth century. “I don’t assume they’ll discover the magic tablet for conserving the youth going (till Milan-Cortina 2026).

“I’m like these soccer gamers which can be so previous that they solely get a contract for one yr. I make a contract with my physique only for the subsequent yr after which I’ll take it from there.”

Greek ski racer Ioannis Antoniou, who embraced being the primary torchbearer for Sochi 2014, proudly working with the Olympic flame in Historical Olympia, eyes qualifying for his second Winter Olympics in Beijing 2022.

“I’m pushing myself – I actually wish to reach Europa Cups in slalom, as a result of that’s my self-discipline, and hopefully I’m going to safe a spot for the World Cups after which possibly I’ll open yet another spot for me within the Olympics,” Antoniou mentioned. “A.J. (Ginnis) are I are each going to must ski actually quick for Greece to have two of us there.”



Homepage photograph: Cortina 2021/Pentaphoto

Written and reported by Brian Pinelli in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

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