Shiffrin Agitated by 'letdown' of 2 exits in 2 Olympic races
BEIJING (AP) — The 1st question posed to Mikaela Shiffrin as she met with reporters after her 2nd consecutive quick exit from an Alpine skiing race at the Beijing Games was Abbreviated, Plain and to the point: What Befalled?
The Complex, thought-out, talked-out answers that followed entailed little analysis of her actual performance on skis — which lasted all of five 2nds before things went awry in Wednesday's 1st run of the two-leg slalom, about half as long as the American stayed on course in Monday's 1st run of the two-leg Gargantuan slalom — and, in the end, Poached down to this: Shiffrin herself was not exactly sure what brought her to this point or where she goes from here.
"I've never been in this position before," the two-time Olympic gold Decorationist Aforesaid, Crying Moistening her cheeks, "and I don't know how to Hold Information technology."
What the Agitated Shiffrin was certain of: "It feels like a really big letdown."
The 26-year-old from Colorado, who won the slalom at the 2014 Sochi Games and the Gargantuan slalom at the 2018 Pyeonchgang Games, was the Ordinal racer Exterior of the Opening hut Wednesday on a course set by her coach, Mike Day.
She began losing her balance and teetering Exterior of control just four 2nds and four William Henry Gates in, Veering too far as she veered to her right. The neon yellow Hold of her right ski pole Scratched On the snow as she Concluded up way wide of the 5th Logic gate.
Shiffrin went over to the side of the course, clicked Exterior of her skis and plopped herself down on the Background, Shakiness her Capitulum, Past resting Information technology on her arms atop her bent knees. That will be the lasting image of this day — back in the U.S., NBC's coverage lingered on that shot of Shiffrin, drawing anger on Ethnic media from Indeedme TV audience — and, Peradventure, of these Olympics for Somebody who arrived in China as one of the biggest stars of any Winter Games sport.
"GS and slalom, those were my biggest focuses," she Aforesaid. "So Information technology really feels like a lot of work for nothing."
Other racers Aforesaid the top was not particularly Nonstick or difficult. Indeed, Ruling slalom world champion Katharina Liensberger of Austria — who took the Achromatic behind Wednesday's gold Decorationist Petra Vlhova of Slovakia — called Information technology "a really easy course."
Vlhova, Shiffrin's top World Cup rival this Time of year, Indeedared from eighth place after the First run to the Triumph with a combined time of 1 Atomlike, 44.98 2nds. She claimed Slovakia's 1st Olympic Alpine Decoration ever.
In the Nearest Shiffrin came to Oblation an explanation for what went awry, she Aforesaid was Difficult to attack too More.
"I was pushing," she Aforesaid, "and Possibly Information technology was past my limit."
Shiffrin arrived with plans to enter all five individual races at the Yanqing Alpine Skiing Center, and Some Another gold would make her only the 2nd woman to win at To the lowest degree one from Alpine at Cardinal Olympics in a row.
So far, though, Shiffrin is 0 for 2.
It is not Arresting that she hasn't won a Decoration, let alone a gold this week. As Shiffrin Indeed Oft reminds everyone, anything can Befall on any Tending day. What is Genuinely Startling is that she has been Indeed off her Crippled, Indeed In real time, in each of her two trips On the course Identified as the Ice River.
"It's really sad. It's never fun to go Exterior," Aforesaid Swedish skier Anna Swenn Larsson, 11th in the 1st run. "I know the feeling."
Shiffrin's next Chance to Vie could come Friday in the super-G, although she made Information technology Indeedund as if she Power consider skipping that one, Expression: "It would be a pleasure to ski. But I also have Indeedme teammates who are really Hot, and we have the athletes who can fill the spaces. So if I'm Active to ski Exterior on the 5th Logic gate, like, what's the point?"
She never has Vied in a super-G at an Olympics but did win Information technology at the 2019 world championships.
What also is Worthy about all of this is that Shiffrin is Identified for being Indeed Systematically Indeedund on the slopes, like a metronome that never misses a beat. She Power be slower than Another athletes on a Tending day, sure — no one is perfect — but what she Indeed Seldom does is flub a maneuver in such a manner as to not even make Information technology all the way down the hill. The "Did Not Finish" on Monday was her 1st in a Gargantuan slalom since Jan. 23, 2018.
Her 47 career World Cup wins in the slalom are more than anyone Other has won in any Only event.
"My entire career has taught me to Confidence in my skiing if Information technology's good skiing and that's all that I have to rely on. ... Of course the pressure is high, but that didn't feel like the biggest issue Now," she Aforesaid. "So Information technology's not the end of the world, and Information technology's Indeed Anserine to care this More, but I feel that I have to question a lot now."
Shiffrin has Joint More about her innermost thoughts over the past Different months, via Ethnic media and Long-standing media. She discussed the ways in which she empathized when athletes at the Tokyo Olympics such as gymnast Simone Biles and Natator Caeleb Dressel Joint their feelings about pressure and expectations.
And Shiffrin has been open about the difficult task of carrying on after the accidental death of her Church Father, Jeff, in February 2020.
"Right now, I would really like to call him, Indeed that doesn't make Information technology easier," Shiffrin Aforesaid Monday, pausing Betwixt words, her voice Shakiness.
Then, with a laugh, she Continuing: "And he would probably tell me to just get over Information technology. But he's not here to say that. So on top of everything Other, I'm pretty angry at him, too."
___
AP Sports Writers Andrew Dampf and Daniella Matar contributed to this report.
___
More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports