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Mikaela Shiffrin is now the world no. 1 in Alpine snowboarding, having damaged a number of longstanding data on her option to the highest. On 21 February 2014 at Rosa Khutor, she grew to become the youngest ever Olympic slalom champion, on the age of 18 years and 345 days. Right here, we have a look again at this achievement, and the numerous extra that adopted…
With the 2019-2020 World Cup season effectively underway, Mikaela Shiffrin, simply 24, is continuous to push the boundaries in her sport. The world no. 1, who’s on track to say a fourth consecutive crystal globe, now holds the file – women and men mixed – for victories within the slalom with 43, together with 16 podiums in a row within the self-discipline, and counting.
In complete, she has 66 World Cup victories to her identify, the second highest variety of any feminine skier in historical past, behind the 82 of compatriot Lindsey Vonn. And he or she confirmed in Lienz (Austria) on 28 and 29 December that she had the flexibility to win an enormous slalom adopted by a slalom within the area of 24 hours, with a substantial margin of victory in each occasions, recording one of the best time throughout the 2 races. She went on to win a downhill and a super-G in the identical weekend, in Bansko (Bulgaria) on 24 and 26 January.
Since her first victory within the super-G on 2 December 2018 in Lake Louise (Canada), the skier from Colorado has develop into one in every of seven ladies to have gained in all 5 Alpine snowboarding disciplines, however the one one to have additionally gained parallel occasions. Her success within the 2018-2019 winter season was nothing wanting outstanding: a file (women and men mixed) 17 victories and 21 podium finishes; two world titles in Åre (Sweden) – the super-G and her fourth consecutive slalom title; and 4 crystal globes – the general title and the slalom, big slalom and super-G crystal globes – to complete the season with 2,204 factors, the second highest complete ever, behind the two,414 factors achieved by Slovenia’s Tina Maze in 2012-2013.
“Proper now, I’m dreaming of the following Olympics [and] profitable 5 gold medals, which sounds actually loopy!” she mentioned having simply gained her first Olympic gold medal within the slalom on the Sochi Winter Video games on 21 February 2014, on the age of 18 years and 345 days. Six years on, with this dream sounding much less and fewer “loopy”, we have a look again at her achievement at Rosa Khutor, which noticed her develop into the youngest Olympic champion within the historical past of the self-discipline.
The princess of the 2014 Sochi Winter Video games
In Sochi, Alpine snowboarding might need quickly misplaced its queen, Lindsey Vonn, who was unable to compete as a consequence of a knee harm she had picked up within the World Championships in February 2013 in Schladming (Austria), nevertheless it discovered a brand new princess. The teenage Shiffrin displayed nerves of metal to clinch the Olympic title, including to the world title she had gained on the age of 17 and the 2013 crystal globe within the slalom to finish a outstanding treble.
Shiffrin, snowboarding with velocity, precision and agility, delivered an virtually insolent efficiency to place herself in pole place after the primary run, increase a lead of 0.49 seconds over the reigning champion, Germany’s Maria Höfl-Riesch, and 0.67 seconds over double Olympic champion Tina Maze of Slovenia. Austria’s Bernadette Schild was in fourth place – 0.79 seconds behind Shiffrin – after the primary run, along with her older sister Marlies in seventh place (1.34 seconds) and compatriot Kathrin Zettel (1.38) simply behind. Shiffrin was extremely relaxed between runs, casually chatting to followers and signing autographs. The phrase “stress” just isn’t a part of her vocabulary.
On the second run, Marlies Schild threw off the shackles and located new reserves of velocity to clock one of the best time of the occasion (51.11 seconds) and storm into the lead. Zettel was in equally impressed kind, closing the hole along with her compatriot to 0.29 seconds. Marlies may solely look on in despair as her youthful sister Bernadette skied astray and failed to complete. Höfl-Riesch and Maze each dropped out of the medal positions.
Shiffrin, although, remained assured all through, admitting later that though she was barely nervous, she was additionally excited and simply needed to precise herself. As soon as she correctly bought into her stride, she once more started hurtling around the poles, even recovering from an error to carry her nerve and present why she may already lay declare to being one of the best slalom skier on this planet. In the long run, she claimed victory with a lead of 0.53 seconds over Marlies Schild and 0.81 seconds over Zettel.
Schild, a four-time Olympic medallist, had nothing however reward for her opponent: “It’s a must to say that Mikaela is a sensational skier, and she or he’s very fast.” Höfl-Riesch, the three-time gold medallist whose crown Shiffrin took, spoke concerning the new champion in equally glowing phrases, highlighting how spectacular it was to have gained so many titles at 18 and hailing her as one of the best slalom racer on this planet and absolutely deserving of her victory.
Onwards and upwards
Having began out as a specialist within the slalom, a self-discipline through which she is undefeated on the FIS World Championships (profitable the title in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019), Shiffrin started to department out into different disciplines in 2015, beginning with the large slalom earlier than seamlessly transitioning to the velocity occasions. Her expertise throughout all disciplines noticed her clinch her first general crystal globe within the 2016-2017 season. She gained her first downhill race in Lake Louise within the 2017-2018 winter season, within the run-up to the Olympic Winter Video games.
On the PyeongChang Video games, on 15 February in Yongpyong, she claimed her second Olympic title with victory within the big slalom, in a race that was delayed by three days as a result of climate. The slalom came about barely 24 hours later, and Shiffrin was unable to muster the bodily and psychological power required to defend her title, in the end ending fourth, with Frida Hansdotter popping out on prime. However she was again on the rostrum on 22 February, profitable silver within the mixed behind Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin and turning into probably the most embellished feminine American skier ever on the Winter Video games within the course of. She has gone from energy to energy since then, amassing crystal globes and taking her present tally to 11.
So what’s it that drives Shiffrin, the primary skier – male or feminine – to win 50 World Cup races earlier than the age of 24? “I’ve each title that each ski racer would possibly wish to have,” she mentioned. “However I really feel like there’s at all times, at all times extra you are able to do. Nerves and anxiousness, for me, have began creeping in an increasing number of as a result of I’m beginning to realise how essential it’s to me to be one of the best ski racer on this planet. And in addition there’s an excellent probability that any individual else [could] put in an oz. extra effort, and so they is likely to be the explanation that I by no means see that dream. It’s one thing that creeps into my thoughts.” Greater than data and titles, it’s this dedication to stay one of the best on this planet that pushes the American so as to add to her checklist of achievements, day after day, yr after yr, with none limits.
Many different Alpine snowboarding data – be it variety of victories, crystal globes, world titles or Olympic medals – at the moment are inside her attain. She can be solely 27 by the point the Beijing 2022 Winter Video games come round. Success in all disciplines is an actual chance, and her dream from Sochi 2014 remains to be very a lot alive.
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