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The yr that has modified Mikaela Shiffrin’s life might get a unprecedented finish.
If she doesn’t win Tuesday’s World Cup slalom in Semmering, 2020 would turn into the primary calendar yr since her maiden triumph in 2012 with out the American standout profitable a single race in her strongest self-discipline.
Nonetheless, Shiffrin normally does nicely on the Zauberberg course, profitable the floodlit race close to the Austrian capital of Vienna the final two occasions it was held, in 2016 and 2018.
“After 9 or 10 years, I’ve good reminiscences and unhealthy reminiscences at each place. After all, I’ve had a extremely good feeling right here prior to now nevertheless it’s a brand new yr and I’m in a distinct place,” Shiffrin mentioned Monday.
“Simply because I had an excellent race final time doesn’t imply I’m going to do nicely this time. So, it’s nonetheless like you must work day-after-day.”
Working is simply what Shiffrin has executed since profitable a large slalom in France two weeks in the past, her first victory since coming back from a 10-month break.
Extensively coaching her core occasions of slalom and GS at Reiteralm allowed her to “go into races with a robust feeling.”
Shiffrin posted the fourth-fastest time within the opening run of Monday’s GS in Semmering earlier than the race was known as off on account of sturdy winds.
“I’m fairly glad with my snowboarding normally,” Shiffrin mentioned after her run.
Shiffrin, the 2014 Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion, has received a report 43 slaloms, greater than every other male or feminine skier within the 54-year historical past of the World Cup.
Her final win within the self-discipline got here at one other Austrian venue, Lienz, precisely one yr in the past.
Petra Vlhova, her Slovakian rival, received the primary two slaloms of January in Zagreb and Flachau, earlier than Shiffrin’s life was turned the wrong way up by the dying of father, Jeff, in early February.
Whereas Shiffrin took a break, Vlhova received one other race in Kranjska Gora in mid-February, which turned out to be the final slalom of the 2019-20 season because the remaining occasions had been canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The primary two slaloms of the present season, in Levi in November, had been additionally received by Vlhova, with Shiffrin coming second and fifth, respectively, in her first races since January.
Whereas information and statistics have by no means been a major purpose of hers, Shiffrin received’t be bothered an excessive amount of by the straightforward truth of not having received a slalom for 12 months.
The yr has been “completely totally different” anyway, she mentioned.
“I believe lots of people really feel like, I received in Courchevel, so which means like I’m completely again and issues are actually again to regular,” Shiffrin mentioned.
“I don’t see it that approach. I really feel like, regular doesn’t exist. I didn’t like ‘come again’ in Courchevel. It’s at all times a course of. My total profession has been a extremely lengthy course of and it hasn’t modified simply because I received a race once more.”
Shiffrin, emotionally and virtually coping with the lack of father and having her low season preparations hampered by COVID-19 restrictions, felt like she’s needed to restart her profession and “relearn” issues.
“Considered one of these items is having a extremely sturdy efficiency in each races in the course of the weekend, having the ability to handle my vitality by way of two races throughout one weekend versus simply focusing on one,” she mentioned.
In Tuesday’s final slalom of the yr, Shiffrin will deal with snowboarding nicely slightly than profitable — although the 2 components have come collectively so many occasions over the previous 10 years.
“I actually don’t have any greater expectations than I usually would, having a standard prep interval, a standard season,” Shiffrin mentioned. “Every little thing has modified. I’m not actually evaluating it to years handed.”
Extra AP sports activities: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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