Skiing – Mikaela Shiffrin: I will never be the same as before – SPORT.sk

In the opening giant slalom of the season, she took first place after two good performances in the first and second rounds. Only Lara Gut-Behrami, who was 0.14 seconds behind, could compete with her. The third Petra Vlhová lost up to 1.30 seconds.

“It’s always hard here, but I went full speed and I skied well. However, it was a challenging race, especially in the second round. Even if you know you went well, you have to push even harder. I had problems with that last season. So it’s special for me that it worked out for me now and everything went well together, “ the American skier evaluated her performance.

Not only she, but also several competitors praised the well-prepared track in the Austrian resort, which also wished the beautiful sunny weather. “It was wonderful. The track was prepared really amazingly. We do outdoor sports, so sometimes the track can’t be prepared well for bad conditions, but it was really amazing here. It was a pleasure to ski here. ”

Despite the great result in the first races, he does not overestimate anything. “It’s great to start the season with a victory, but it’s just the beginning, it doesn’t mean anything yet. I have to work on myself and improve every day. ”

Shiffrin triumphed in Sölden for the second time in her career, recording her first victory in 2014 at the age of 19. “I was a small child,” she laughed at a press conference.

I WILL NEVER BE THAT LIKE BEFORE

Last season, it wasn’t the Mikaela the fans were used to. She did not have complete summer training, she suffered from back pain and especially the tragic death of her father from February 2020. However, she entered the current year in a much better mental and physical condition.

She was also helped by a new relationship with Norwegian skier Alexander Aamodt Kild. The spectators could also see their mutual support in Sölden, Kilde was waiting at the finish line, where he hugged Shiffrin after her victory.

“It’s great that he stayed here and supported me. It’s one of those things that makes me smile, charges me with good energy. I’m lucky. After the race, I hugged him and said we would see each other later. It supports and motivates me a lot when I am with him, whether in life or while skiing. Having him here was special for me. Although our calendars are being divided, I hope to be able to return support to him at the finish line one day. ”

The performances are back, a smile returned to her face, but it will never be what it used to be. “If I’ve learned anything in the last two years, it’s that I can’t go back. I will never be the Mikaela I was before. I miss a big chunk and always will. But I’m learning and growing. I have reasons to smile, I have reasons to motivate. I’m there now and it’s a good place to be. ”

The tragic event of her life also affected her sports mentality. She achieved her seventieth career victory in Sölden, making her a legend such as Ingemar Stenmark and Lindsey Vonn. No one else has reached this goal.

“It is a great achievement. I’m proud of that. I don’t remember every one, but … It’s hard to explain. It didn’t happen today. It’s always step by step, day after day. My goal today was to ski well, with good commitment. And I’m most proud of that. That I can prove that I succeeded in the first races of the season. “

If anyone thought Mikaela Shiffrin was a sports machine, they would be wrong. “I felt nervous, I always wonder if I could still win, if I could ski with as much energy as ever. Sometimes I feel like I’m falling behind. Such a start to the season is therefore very good and motivating for me.

Despite my nervousness, I did it. It didn’t stop me, I skied well, I didn’t have a block. I expect that I will continue to feel a little nervous, that my heart will pound more … But that’s OK. Now I feel like it’s okay to be nervous, ” the three-time winner of the big globe confided.

Even more nervousness awaits her this season at two special events for her. The first will be the return of the World Cup to Killingotn, USA. “I always feel a lot of pressure there, which is not easy. But I missed the race in the USA, I’m really looking forward to it. “

The second will, of course, be the Olympics, for which 26-year-old Shiffrin sets bold goals, and wants to take part in all disciplines. How very difficult will it be to prepare for all? “It is almost impossible, but we’ll see. It is my dream, I will do everything in my power. But I have to stay realistic, I won’t kill myself for it. But I would like to go to every discipline. “

Last season, Petra Vlhová won a huge globe, which thus entered the new year as its advocate. Although she said that her priority is the Olympics and not the globe, she will be in the position of advocate for the whole season. Shiffrin knows this feeling well, she got a big globe in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

“Every race you think about whether you perform well enough. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. It is difficult to defend a big globe. Being on the podium for the first event of the season is a good sign, but it’s too early for anything other than ‘okay, good first races, let’s move on’, ” said the difficulty of defending the big globe.

IT SHOWED A GREAT HEART

At the race in Sölden, Austria, Mikaela Shiffrin showed not only great performances, but also her personality. She remained in the finish area as the very last of all skiers, willingly responding to many requests for an interview. She reached us as the last, but she willingly came without a sour expression.

She willingly and with a smile answered comprehensively to each question. We haven’t heard, either from her or her team, that we should quit, because he’s in a hurry that there is only one question to come. She didn’t go away after the conversation. She took another picture and signed for a small fan, who climbed two barriers on the way behind her.