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BEIJING – That went fairly nicely for Mikaela Shiffrin not having been on downhill skis for greater than two months.
Shiffrin had the ninth-fastest time, and better of the U.S. ladies, within the first downhill coaching run Saturday. Extra importantly, she felt adequate that she’s nonetheless planning on doing Tuesday’s downhill race on the Beijing Olympics, in addition to the Alpine mixed Thursday.
“As we speak offers me a little bit bit extra positivity,” she stated. “We’re going to must see how issues go as the times progress. There’s sections of this observe that a number of the extra pace specialist skiers are going to excel at and are going to essentially enhance (on). … I’m undecided precisely the place and the way I can enhance. I simply felt stable on my skis so I’ll attempt to sustain and we’ll see the place the potential actually is.
“Appears good to race the downhill and, so far as security or threat, I’m actually glad to say it’s in a reasonably good place.”
The mixed is one run every of downhill and slalom, so Shiffrin would do the coaching runs regardless. However she has stated a number of occasions that she hoped to do the downhill race, too, relying on how she felt in coaching.
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Due to the pace concerned, and the elevated threat of hazard that brings, Shiffrin has all the time taken a deliberate method to downhill. If it doesn’t really feel snug, or she doesn’t really feel she’s had sufficient coaching, she’s not going to do it.
She’s solely accomplished one downhill race this World Cup season, and that was again within the first week of December at Lake Louise. She had hoped to get in some extra coaching earlier than Beijing, however a bout with COVID between Christmas and New Yr’s had her in isolation for 10 days.
“It felt very nice. Nearly a little bit bit shocking,” Shiffrin stated, smiling. “I used to be actually glad to have this sense on the observe. Every thing is working clean, in order that’s a reasonably good feeling. … I felt sturdy and stable and in an excellent place. It was by no means scary at any level, just a bit little bit of that exhilarating feeling.”
The 2-time Olympic champion has had a rough time in Beijing, snowboarding off the course 5 gates into her first run in each the large slalom and slalom, her greatest occasions. She completed ninth in the super-G on Friday, and somebody requested if that had taken the stress off for her final occasions.
Shiffrin can be a medal favourite once more within the mixed, the place she is the reigning world champion and has a silver medal from the Pyeongchang Olympics.
“To be sincere? I believe not ending the GS and the slalom, that type of took the stress off,” she stated. “Efficiency-wise, expectations-wise, I just about checked that field. Not in a great way, however I checked it. Now it’s simply making an attempt to get the sensation on my skis that I’m really doing a reasonably good job.
“Yesterday it was good execution and almost how I believed it will really feel, and that was actually superior to see,” Shiffrin added. “As we speak it felt even higher than I really thought. In order that’s additionally good.”
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