Mikaela Shiffrin: American skier deciding on races to compete in at 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing
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ByEurosport
Published 30/03/2021 at 10:29 GMT
Mikaela Shiffrin secured 17 World Cup victories in the 2018/19 season before she stopped competing 13 months ago due to the tragic death of her father. Her leave was extended as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and a back injury which, combined, halted her comeback. After returning in December and winning three World Cup races and four medals, her focus has turned to the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Mikaela Shiffrin
Image credit: Getty Images
Mikaela Shiffrin is already thinking about her third Olympic games which are 11 months away, but she says she has not decided which races she will enter in Beijing.
"I’m trying to decide what I want to ski in the Olympics and where I have the potential to be a medal contender," the two-time Olympic alpine skiing champion told reporters.
You have to be prepared before the next World Cup season starts because there’s a million things that can get in the way leading up to the Olympics.
Shiffrin admits there is going to be a "chaotic" period for the racers having not skied on the mountain courses outside Beijing where the Alpine competitions will be held.
Test events are normally held a year or more in advance ahead of an Olympic event, but the ski areas get little snow while the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted travel and planning.
"Nobody’s seen it," she said.
That’s definitely going to add a layer of chaos when we arrive for the first time at the Games. Like, where do we go? What’s happening here?
Shiffrin has now been on the World Cup circuit for 11 seasons, but the 26-year-old says she is still hungry to improve.
“A sort of staleness could have set in," she added. "But I feel lucky to do this and to have people around me who have given so much of themselves to help me be good at it.
"And I have a sense of wanting to figure out what I want to do better. Because I want to do better."
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