Shiffrin joins exclusive club
American one of only seven skiers to earn World Cup gold in each discipline
LAKE LOUISE Mikaela Shiffrin’s victory Sunday at the Lake Louise Audi FIS Ski World Cup places her in an exclusive club of only seven athletes to collect a World Cup win in each alpine ski racing discipline.
“It’s been one of my goals to get to a point where I could win in every event since I was a little girl,” Shiffrin, who hails from Vail, Colo., said following her run.
“To be here today and to be able to ski the way that I wanted to and really aggressively, this is an incredible moment. My setup and my skis were perfect, I was having so much fun on them.”
Leaving 12th out of the start gate, the American blitzed down Lake Louise’s super-G track in a time of 1:19.41. Nearly eight tenths of a second (an eternity in World Cup racing) separated Shiffrin from the second place finisher Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway.
“I was on the limit today,” Shiffrin added.
“There were some turns where I was like ‘Um, I might not make this next turn, let’s just see what happens and lay into it and close your eyes and go.’ That’s kind of what super- G is, it’s always on the limit of finishing the run in first, or not finishing the run at all.”
Through four downhill and two super- G races at Lake Louise over the past two seasons, the 23-yearold has placed in the top 10 each time. Five of the finishes were in the top five. For any World Cup athlete to experience Shiffrin’s level of success at Lake Louise is impressive. Even more remarkable in the case of the 23-year-old is her casual approach toward the speed disciplines in comparison to most of the other athletes in the field.
“I woke up this morning and I was like, ‘I haven’t been on my super- G skis in several months, so let’s see! Let’s just go do it!’,” she said, laughing.
For a moment after crossing the finish line, Shiffrin wasn’t aware of her success.
“I couldn’t actually see, I thought I was behind eight-tenths and I was like ‘Oh, shoot.’ Then I saw the colour green behind the number.”
Traditionally a specialist in the technical disciplines of slalom and giant slalom over her eight-season career, this is only her third season taking part in the highway-speed disciplines of downhill and superG. She’s already collected four podium finishes.
Rounding out the podium were the 26-year-old Mowinckel and two-time Olympic medallist Viktoria Rebensburg of Germany.
There were plenty of hometown cheers Sunday for Team Canada’s Valerie Grenier as she crossed the finish line to take fifth place. The best result of her career was a particularly impressive feat considering the rough terrain that comes along with leaving 32nd out of the gate.
“I’m freaking out, I still can’t believe it,” the Ottawa native said.
“When I crossed the finish line and saw the fifth place, that was crazy to me. My run felt good, I felt like I was bringing some good speed and really sending it.”
The 22-year-old normally trains out of Mont Tremblant, Que.
“I had a feeling that I could do well. You can’t back out on this hill, you have to trust your line.”
Next up for Grenier, Shiffrin and the rest of the women on the World Cup speed tour is the super- G in the Swiss Alps village of St. Moritz on December 8.
“I’m excited about St. Moritz, I love that track,” said Grenier amid an onslaught of congratulatory hugs from the finish corral.
“My second World Cup there I finished 13th, so it’s a good hill for me and I’m excited to ski there.” Shiffrin’s a fan of St. Moritz, too. “Skiing it last year was so much fun,” she said of the Swiss super- G course.
“The surface there is always really nice to ski like Lake Louise. Last year I remember I skied it a little too easy so I guess my tactic is going to be like what I did today and just try to be really aggressive.”