Shiffrin’s gold pursuit delayed by heavy winds

Alpine events postponed for second day by the weather

PYEONGCHANG, SOUTH KOREA >> Mikaela Shiffrin’s pursuit of gold at the Pyeongchang Olympics will start on a different day — and in a different event, the slalom, which is her forte — than everyone expected.

Of course, that’s assuming they ever get around to doing any racing at all in Alpine skiing, after each of the first two contests were postponed because of dangerous winds.

The latest schedule change came Sunday, when the temperature was 5 degrees (minus-15 Celsius) and the women’s giant slalom was shelved less than three hours before it was supposed to start. That followed Saturday’s postponement of the men’s downhill.

Now both of those races will be held Wednesday, but on different hills. The women will compete at the Yongpyong Alpine Center used for technical races, and the men will be about 30 miles (50 kilometers) away at the Jeongseon Alpine Center used for speed races.

The men’s super-G, originally set for Wednesday, has been switched to Thursday.

The giant slalom would have been Shiffrin’s much-anticipated debut at these Winter Games. Instead, she will begin on Tuesday — weather permitting, of course — in the slalom, a race she has dominated for five years, and then ski again the next day. That is something to which she is accustomed: World Cup races frequently are held on consecutive days, and twice this season she went three days in a row.

Shiffrin is the defending champion in the slalom and will be trying to become the first man or woman to win that Olympic gold twice in a row; she also has claimed three consecutive world titles.

The 22-year-old American is expected to be one of the superstars of the next two weeks, considered a medal favorite in slalom and giant slalom, a strong contender in the combined and a possible entrant in the other two women’s individual races, the downhill and super-G.

“It’s a bummer that we’re not able to race today,” Shiffrin said. “But with the training block I’ve had, I’m prepared and feeling good. I’ll use this time to continue to train and refocus on Wednesday’s slalom race. We have a great gym and space to eat and take plenty of naps, so I’ll use this time to recharge.”

The forecast calls for wind gusts at up to about 25 mph (40 kph), which is about half as fierce as those in the past couple of days.