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Mikaela Shiffrin’s long-awaited return to hurry snowboarding will come on the world championships beginning subsequent week.
The American standout introduced Tuesday that she plans to enter 4 occasions on the worlds in Cortina d’Ampezzo: mixed, super-G, large slalom and slalom.
It is the largest program that Shiffrin has ever launched into at a serious championship — worlds or Olympics.
Earlier than her father died final yr, Shiffrin had expanded from her favored technical disciplines of slalom and large slalom to additionally race – and excel in – the velocity disciplines of super-G and downhill. A lot in order that she received the gold medal within the super-G on the final worlds in Are, Sweden, two years in the past.
Since her prolonged break and her return to the World Cup circuit in November, although, Shiffrin has not entered a single velocity race. However she has spent a number of days coaching super-G this week.
“I really feel comfy on the skis and it is tremendous enjoyable, so I am actually going into the velocity part of world champs with the intention virtually making an attempt to take it as a chance for coaching,” Shiffrin stated.
“Clearly it is a race and it is world championships so I’ll be making an attempt to ski as quick as I can and I believe that I will be capable to have a reasonably good consequence.”
Nonetheless, Shiffrin acknowledged that she in all probability will not be the favourite for the super-G, with that standing belonging to Lara Intestine-Behrami, the Swiss racer who has received 4 straight super-Gs this season.
In any case, Shiffrin has not raced on the lengthy boards since successful a super-G in Bansko, Bulgaria, greater than a yr in the past.
“I simply have completely no assure that it should stack up or if it should be ok to defend my super-G title,” Shiffrin stated. “I am not stepping into ‘to defend my title.’ I wished to be clear about that. It is somewhat bit extra complicated than that, as a result of I positively have not educated a variety of velocity. I’ve educated three days of velocity within the final yr. I am simply making an attempt to be practical.”
The 2-time Olympic champion took a 10-month break from the game following her father’s demise.
The worlds open subsequent Monday with the ladies’s mixed occasion, adopted by the lads’s and ladies’s super-G the next day. Shiffrin’s ultimate occasion would be the slalom on Feb. 20, a race she will likely be aiming for a fifth consecutive title in.
No followers will likely be allowed to attend worlds on account of a nationwide ban on spectators at sports activities occasions in Italy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of the demise of Shiffrin’s father, Jeff. On Monday, Shiffrin tweeted, “Questioning why people are so obsessive about anniversaries.”
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