Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy) (AFP) – Mikaela Shiffrin looked on the bright side of her latest failure to end her Olympic medal drought after the US ski star only finished 11th in Sunday’s giant slalom at the Milan-Cortina Games, which was won by Federica Brignone. Without a medal at the Winter Olympics since winning the giant slalom in Pyeongchang eight years ago, Shiffrin looked set for honours in Cortina d’Ampezzo after her incredible form on the World Cup circuit.
She is yet to catch fire in northern Italy but insisted: “There were so many positives from today. When I think about it, I’m three tenths (of a second) off of the podium… That is such a high level of competition,” Shiffrin told reporters.
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Shiffrin has racked up a record 108 World Cup wins, a total she reached after having to come back from a puncture wound to her abdomen suffered in Killington in November. “Returning to racing after the injury last year, returning to giant slalom racing, I was so far off. I felt like there was no hope to be faster,” added Shiffrin. “To be here now. Just in touch with the fastest women. That is huge. I am proud of that.”
Shiffrin now has one race left at these Olympics in Wednesday’s slalom, the discipline in which she has an all-time record of 71 World Cup wins, including seven of eight races this season. “No matter how many runs of slalom I do, it never gets easier. You become more aware of how challenging it is,” said Shiffrin. “Now we’re going to just have to wait and see what the conditions provide on slalom day.”
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