Shiffrin before slalom in Levi: She mentioned the most difficult period and did not rule out the end of her career – Športky.sk

LEVI – The slalom season begins on Saturday at 10.30, which will be opened by an event in the Finnish resort of Levi. Katharina Liensbergerová defends the small crystal globe for the most spinning discipline, Petra Vlhová and Mikaela Shiffrinová will traditionally be among the favorites.

Exactly a year ago, the entire ski world watched the long-awaited return of the American star to the World Cup carousel. The super-talented skier did not appear on the snowy slopes for three hundred days, she suffered from health problems, but she was hit a thousand times more by the family tragedy of January 2020 in the town of Edwards.

The three-time winner of the Big Globe has forever lost her beloved father, Jeff Shiffrin, who died in an accident at a family home in Colorado. At the beginning of the year, he personally supported her at the World Championships.

“A lot of people think I’m not really an athlete without overcoming a serious physical injury. For me, it’s a completely different story for my father now. It’s not about the bones, muscles or ligaments, it’s about the emotional side of things. “A broken heart is something I’ve been fighting for a long time. I feel like it’s probably the biggest injury I’ve ever faced.” she confided to reporters before the slalom start in Levi.

In Levi, he can overcome Stenmark

Beyond the Arctic Circle, a technically brilliantly equipped American woman has always been very successful. He has four triumphs (2013, 2016, 2018 and 2019) and if he succeeds this year, he can equal or even break the respectable record of Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark in the number of victories in one discipline.

One of the best skiers of all time recorded 46 victories in the giant slalom, the native of Vail has so far won 45 slaloms in the World Cup.

Mikaela Shiffrinová’s last victory so far was born in the opening races of the season in Sölden, Austria, in which she defeated the second Lara Gutová-Behrami and, sovereignly, our Petra Vlhová.

She not only scored a hundred points from the famous Rettenbach glacier, but also an unpleasant back injury. While her biggest rival traveled beyond the Arctic Circle three weeks in advance, Shiffrin had to return to Colorado, where she rehabilitated and, she admitted, suffered from severe cramps, resp. stretched muscles.

She couldn’t even train properly, and as she set out on the slope to try a few curves, she immediately felt unbearable pain. “I only started skiing a few days before I arrived in Levi. Fortunately, I have the worst behind me.” said the 11-time world champion.

She finished second and fifth in Lapland last year.

“It’s great to be in Levi again. I’m looking forward to the race, I’ve had a lot of success here in recent years. When I was at the top, they started giving reindeer as a prize, so I’ve had quite a few. It’s really nice.” joked partner of Norwegian skier Alexander Aamodt Kilde.

The sympathetic skier already has four reindeer – Rudolph, Svena, Mr. Gru and Ingemara. In the case of the fifth triumph, we could already talk about a small herd.

End of career?

She also spoke on climate change at an online press conference before the slalom weekend in Finland. Shiffrin even admitted that she could imagine one day hanging skis on a nail due to climate problems.

“I have a problem that our sport requires a lot of travel. I’m not an environmental expert, but nature obviously tells us it’s very angry,” quoted the site Laola1.at winner of 70 races SP.

We can only believe that she has not said the last word among the slalom goals and that we will be able to enjoy her huge sports talent for many years to come.

• The author: © List / Patrik Seman
• VIDEO: Twitter / US Ski & Snowboard Team
• Source: Sportswear