Delays done, Shiffrin wins Olympic GS gold; best event next

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Mikaela Shiffrin, of the United States, holds her head in her hands after winning the gold medal in the Women’s Giant Slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Mikaela Shiffrin, of the United States, holds her head in her hands after winning the gold medal in the Women’s Giant Slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — The nervous vitality collected for Mikaela Shiffrin whereas she waited, waited, waited for these Olympics — those that so many expect to be HER Olympics — to lastly get began. First one race was postponed. Then one other.

And so it was not till per week into the Pyeongchang Video games that Shiffrin and the opposite feminine Alpine skiers obtained to compete within the rescheduled big slalom, an occasion the 22-year-old American considers a piece in progress for her. In second place and nonetheless feeling some jitters after the primary of Thursday’s two runs, Shiffrin did two issues throughout the 3½ hours earlier than the deciding leg of the GS: She took a nap, after which she sneaked onto the adjoining males’s course at Yongpong Alpine Heart for a bit of free snowboarding.

“Then,” mentioned Shiffrin’s mom, Eileen, who can be a coach, “I believe she was identical to, ‘I’m prepared. I’m doing this.’”

Certain was. And certain did.

On a crisp, clear day with little or no signal of the gusts which have performed havoc with the snowboarding program, Shiffrin dealt nicely together with her pent-up feelings and put together a pair of aggressive, if not quite perfect, trips through the gates to win the giant slalom for the second Olympic gold medal of her precocious profession.

No American Alpine skier has gained extra.

“Positively, it’s been a psychological pressure the final couple days, considering we’re going to race after which not racing. So to lastly have the race really occur in the present day, I used to be like, ‘Properly, I actually hope that I really can do it when the time comes that we lastly race.’ And, yeah, I did,” mentioned Shiffrin, who is predicated in Colorado. “So now we obtained the ball rolling. I’m actually excited for tomorrow.”

As nicely she must be.

That’s as a result of Friday brings the slalom, by far Shiffrin’s greatest occasion, one which she has dominated for 5 years, together with a gold on the 2014 Sochi Video games plus a trio of world titles. She is a big favourite in that one, in contrast to the large slalom, by which Shiffrin was merely a robust contender. After that, Shiffrin will skip Saturday’s super-G, based on her mother, as a result of there’s no time to correctly put together. She nonetheless intends to enter the downhill and mixed.

“I don’t suppose it will get any simpler, however I believe she will be able to take a deep breath and say, ‘The strain’s off a bit of bit. Possibly,’” mentioned her father, Jeff. “She’ll simply strategy it the way in which she’s all the time approached it: It’s left-right-left-right-left-right, neglect concerning the outcome.”

On this occasion, the outcome was a two-run time of two minutes, 20.02 seconds, adequate to beat shock silver medalist Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway by 0.39 seconds and Federica Brignone of Italy by 0.46. First-run chief Manuela Moelgg of Italy shortly gave away her 0.20-second benefit over Shiffrin and was eighth.

Mowinckel helped make it a three-medal Alpine day for Norway: Aksel Lund Svindal gained the boys’s downhill about 30 miles away on the Jeongseon Alpine Heart, and Kjetil Jansrud obtained silver. Switzerland’s Beat Feuz was third in a race initially scheduled for Sunday. Svindal, 35, is the oldest man to win Olympic gold in Alpine snowboarding.

At Yongpong, Shiffrin discovered some issues within the uneven terrain of the second half of the 51-gate GS course, partially as a result of close by bushes created shadows that made it robust to see.

However she wasn’t the one one: Her first run was second-fastest; her different was fourth-fastest.

“She attacked each runs, and that’s how we do it. It was the nice solution to do issues,” mentioned France’s Tessa Worley, the reigning world champion, who had a poor opening run and was seventh. “She wished this medal, and we might see it.”

Mentioned Brignone: “She is way stronger than the remainder of us proper now — not bodily, however mentally, and with the way in which she works and prepares.”

That final half is essential to appreciating the way in which Shiffrin regrouped and carried out in a race initially slated for Monday. Principally terrific on the World Cup circuit this season — profitable 10 of 23 races she’s entered to guide the general standings — she stumbled in late January and failed to complete three of her final 4 races.

She acknowledged psychological fatigue and took a few days off.

Positively regarded refreshed within the big slalom, with which she contends she has “a love-hate relationship” as a result of it doesn’t come as naturally because the slalom.

Possibly so.

But after that hour’s snooze in a lodge atop the mountain, adopted by the impromptu snowboarding session with Mother, Shiffrin was in a position to carry out at her greatest, which clearly is sweet sufficient.

“She introduced out much more pure snowboarding within the second run that was far much less inflexible,” coach Mike Day mentioned. “To me, it was much more free.”

After ending, Shiffrin put her proper glove on her chest, mouth agape. She paused and put her poles atop her neon helmet. She coated her ski goggles with each fingers, taking the second in.

Solely briefly, although. There’s extra work to be achieved. And maybe extra medals to be gained.

“It was my 15 seconds to let all of it out,” Shiffrin mentioned, “and now I’ve obtained to concentrate on tomorrow.”

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Observe Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

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Extra AP Olympic protection: https://wintergames.ap.org