Mikaela Shiffrin is seeking more speed – The Durango Herald

Shiffrin eyes return to super-G coaching

United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course of a ladies’s World Cup Slalom on Jan. 3 in Zagreb, Croatia.

Marvo Trovati/Related Press

United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin arrives on the end space of a ladies’s World Cup Slalom on Jan. 3 in Zagreb, Croatia.

Giovanni Auletta/Related Press

Since her return to Alpine snowboarding’s World Cup six weeks in the past, Mikaela Shiffrin has been solely specializing in her strongest occasions: slalom and big slalom.

That may change in two weeks’ time, although.

After ending fourth in a World Cup slalom in Croatia on Sunday, the American three-time general champion was eyeing a return to coaching in velocity occasions, with the Feb. 9-21 world championships in Italy approaching.

Shiffrin received a document fourth straight slalom title, but in addition a super-G gold on the worlds in Sweden two years in the past.

A winner in all six Alpine disciplines, Shiffrin determined to deal with her core occasions first when she returned to the circuit from a 10-month break in November.

She has not skied on the lengthy boards since successful a super-G in Bansko, Bulgaria, greater than 11 months in the past.

“I’ve not had time for velocity coaching, but,” mentioned Shiffrin, who will subsequent race an evening slalom in Flachau, Austria, on Jan. 12 and two big slaloms in Maribor, Slovenia, the next weekend.

“Then there is perhaps an opportunity to get one or two periods on super-G skies earlier than (the Jan. 26 big slalom in) Kronplatz,” she mentioned. “That may be preferrred — that’s the plan.”

Selecting up super-G coaching once more within the third week of January might allow Shiffrin to compete within the velocity occasions on the world championships.

The Alpine mixed, the super-G and the downhill are all scheduled within the first six days of the championships.

“It’s not out of the playing cards however it’s not a certainty proper now,” Shiffrin mentioned. “It actually is determined by what sort of coaching I can get beforehand. I most likely don’t want a number of coaching however I would like some and it must be good and productive.”

Nonetheless, the quantity and high quality of her velocity coaching is just not the one side Shiffrin can be factoring in.

Nationwide federations solely get a restricted variety of beginning spots for every race at world championships, and Shiffrin identified she was reluctant to take a teammate’s place.

However with Shiffrin because the 2019 gold medalist, the U.S. ski staff will get an extra beginning berth for the Feb. 9 super-G race.

“That’s good as a result of that opens it up slightly bit,” she mentioned.

Nonetheless, she received’t begin in a velocity race in Cortina d’Ampezzo subsequent month only for the sake of racing it.

“When I’m attempting to resolve which races I’m going to do, I don’t wish to go in and simply say like: ‘I wish to race, as a result of I simply wish to and I don’t care the way it goes.’ As a result of we now have effectively greater than 4 ladies who’re all in a position to carry out rather well. And that’s every thing to them. So, I’m tremendous conscious of that.”