Shiffrin continues to reap rewards of ‘go for gold’ approach on slopes

The American skier gained 4 medals in her 4 occasions on the current world championships and improved her profession file on the next-biggest occasion in snowboarding after the Olympics to 11 medals in 13 races.

Her Olympic file? Three medals in 5 occasions.

That is a mixed 14 for 18 at main championships — worlds and Olympics.

WATCH | Shiffrin gold in tremendous mixed breaks U.S. file:

The American set new U.S. information together with her sixth world title and ninth profession world medal by profitable the ladies’s tremendous mixed on the world championships in Italy. 1:26

To place these numbers in perspective, think about Lindsey Vonn’s profession outcomes at main championships. Whereas the retired Vonn stays essentially the most profitable feminine skier in World Cup historical past with a file 82 victories (the 25-year-old Shiffrin has 68 World Cup wins and counting), her haul of 11 medals in 39 races already pales compared to Shiffrin’s efficiency.

So how does Shiffrin do it? Nicely, past her extraordinary snowboarding expertise and years and years of coaching, it is all about her psychological strategy.

Shiffrin lately thought again to that race, acknowledging that she was “freaking out” between runs.

After the primary leg, Shiffrin sat third behind Scandinavian veterans Frida Hansdotter and Tanja Poutiainen, and had Maria Höfl-Riesch and Tina Maze — two of the best skiers of their era — respiration down her neck in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Shiffrin was listening to music on her headphones however having a tricky time taming her nerves contained in the hospitality space when U.S. teammate Steven Nyman walked in and requested her mother and coach, Eileen, what the issue was.

“He stated, ‘Alright, alright, alright. Inform her to take her headphones off, we’ve to have a dialogue,”‘ Shiffrin stated. “And we did. And he stated, ‘World championships there may be one aim. You are not attempting to guard your lead within the general title or the season titles or something. You are not defending something. You go for gold, that is it. You may have all the things to realize and nothing to lose. So go for it.’

Go-for-broke technique

“And I used to be like, ‘Huh. That is actually attention-grabbing. OK,”‘ Shiffrin added. “And it did not, like, take away my nerves of whether or not I may ski sooner, make up the time distinction, or all these completely different items. However it acquired me psyched up simply to do my greatest. And each world championships since then, whether or not I am nervous or I am feeling nice — it would not matter — I’ve all the time remembered what Steven stated.”

Nyman, a 39-year-old downhiller who has gained three World Cup downhills however by no means a medal at a worlds or Olympics, recalled how he “discovered it sort of humorous that she was so nervous despite the fact that she had already had a lot success.”

Hirscher, the lately retired Austrian who gained a file eight straight general World Cup titles, additionally as soon as mentioned how he so constantly employed his go-for-broke technique.

As Nyman recommended, Hirscher imagined that he was all the time being chased.

“When you’re standing in entrance of an enormous, large, enormous wall, and you don’t have any alternative to climb up there, after which behind you, there are 100 loopy canines who wish to eat you up, then you must go to your life,” Hirscher stated in 2013 when requested to elucidate his strategy.

It is the identical attacking mentality that Shiffrin employed when she gained gold in mixed, silver in big slalom and bronze in super-G and slalom during the last two weeks in Cortina.

‘Going through new psychological arenas’

The 4 medals matched the most important haul ever by a girl at worlds, with Marielle Goitschel (in 1966), Rosi Mittermaeier (1976), Hanni Wenzel (1980) and Anja Pärson (2007) additionally having gained 4 medals in a single version.

Shiffrin’s achievement was all of the extra exceptional contemplating she did not race for 10 months final yr following the sudden loss of life of her father, Jeff Shiffrin. Her comeback was then slowed by the coronavirus pandemic and a again harm.

With out a lot coaching, Shiffrin had raced solely sparingly getting into the worlds.

“She would not have the dominance this yr as years previous so it needed to be exhausting for her discover that perception to win,” stated Nyman, who has recognized Shiffrin since she was a toddler. “She is dealing with new psychological arenas at the moment and it has been enjoyable to observe her navigate them.”

That is as a result of, whether or not she has educated or not, Shiffrin is all the time the skier to beat — which makes her one of many largest medal threats for subsequent yr’s Beijing Olympics.

“I do know that I’ve the capabilities to ski actually quick. And if I do, I do know it has the potential to win,” Shiffrin stated. “However it simply boils down as to if I try this properly sufficient, and actually what the opposite women do. And I can not management what they do. So all I can actually do is go on the market and check out my greatest and see what occurs.

“So in a means there’s much less stress at world champs than even World Cup races, since you’re not defending one thing. However on the identical time you recognize it is a large occasion, it is the one likelihood to go for gold.”