Mikaela Shiffrin concedes defeat in the overall title race: "It's time to stop the bleed"
The double Olympic champion said she will only race three more events this season after realising she won't be able to defend the big Crystal Globe.
Alpine Skiing
Mikaela Shiffrin confirmed she won't compete in any speed event for the remainder of the Alpine skiing World Cup season, admitting she has long come to terms with not being able to defend her overall title.
The U.S. superstar was comfortably leading the standings until she suffered an MCL injury after crashing out during the Cortina d'Ampezzo downhill on 26 January. The two-time Olympic gold medallist hasn't raced since.
Shiffrin has dropped to third in the rankings, trailing the new leader Lara Gut-Behrami by almost 400 points with six races left in the season (100 points are awarded for the winner).
"I would love to fight for the overall, but I also just kind of need to admit where I am this season and that's not a possibility, so I just sit back and watch what's actually unfolding this season," Shiffrin said during a virtual press conference on Friday (8 March) ahead of her return to competition in Are, Sweden, this weekend.
"In the first few weeks I was thinking, can I get back? Maybe I can get back. We're trying to push to get back. Is it Andorra? It's not Andorra, is it Val di Fassa? It's not Val di Fassa, like all of these different checkpoints along the way. [I realised ] Are would be the first truly or even remotely realistic race to return and, as I came to terms with that, it was like, 'let's stop the bleed here' because it's excruciating to be watching this all unfold and making myself angry for something I can't control. So it's time to stop the bleed."
The 28-year-old announced that she will skip Saturday's giant slalom and will only compete in the slalom on Sunday, due to her lack of preparation following the injury: "I've had three sessions of slalom in the past seven weeks that were remotely close to normal. To put that in perspective, during the summer time, I don't even go for seven weeks without training during the off season."
Shiffrin is well on course to win the slalom globe for the eighth time as she currently leads the discipline standings with 630 points, with second-placed Petra Vlhova (505) out for the season and Lena Duerr of Germany in third with 442 points, .
Mikaela Shiffrin on Aleksander Aamodt Kilde's injury: 'It was a life or death situation'
As she reflected on the last turbulent weeks, Shiffrin confessed that "it never crossed my mind that this would be the end of my career," adding that she can't really relate to the 'significance' of the injury suffered by her boyfriend Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in Wengen on 14 January.
"There's not a word for what he had, we can use the word cut, laceration, whatever you want to call it, but it was actually a life or death situation," the American said.
"Those initial weeks in the hospital for him cost a lot of energy for everyone, for him more than anyone. He couldn't sit up for the first two weeks or go to the bathroom... He is progressing really well now and moving right along. He's starting to be able to walk, he's starting to be able to activate his shoulder, but it's really minimal movements with the shoulder. So it's a long road."
The double Olympic champion concluded by celebrating Gut-Behrami, who's closing in on the second overall World Cup title of her career, the first one since 2016.
"She's been stunning this season. She's been so consistent, so strong. As somebody who speaks as a fan of the sport, I love watching Lara ski. Unfortunately, I also have to compete against her (laughs). Sometimes it's hard to believe that I have ever been faster than that, or could potentially be faster than that again. But that's also the beauty of the competition that we all have. I feel like Lara has really pushed the level of skiing and I'd love to see that."
With a 326-point lead over second-placed Federica Brignone, the Swiss could seal the title already this weekend. Meanwhile, Shiffrin revealed that she will only race one more giant slalom and one more slalom at the World Cup Finals in Saalbach, Austria, starting next week.
Schedule: 2023/24 Alpine Ski World Cup - Åre, Sweden
Below is the schedule for the races in Åre:
- Saturday, 9 March 10:30 CET (04:30 ET) – Women's Giant Slalom
- Sunday, 10 March 10:30 CET (04:30 ET) – Women's Slalom
All race timings are subject to change.
How to watch Mikaela Shiffrin live in Åre 2023/24 Alpine Ski World Cup
Live coverage in the USA will be provided by skiandsnowboard.live.
Fans in Canada can tune in on CBC Sports.
In Europe, all FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events are streamed live on Eurosport's digital platforms and Discovery+.