At 19, Mikaela Shiffrin sends message with opening win
SOELDEN, Austria — Mikaela Shiffrin's maiden giant slalom victory definitively sends a strong message to her competition and is evidence of her rapidly developing versatility in the sport.
Perhaps it's even a telling sign that Shiffrin will be a serious contender for this season's overall World Cup title? And at age 19 no less.
"It's a great step – everybody is like, 'So you won, you're going to get the overall this season.' And I'm like, 'We'll see' but it's a perfect start to the season," Shiffrin said after the shared victory.
As the final racer to descend the dicey Rettenbach Glacier course, Shiffrin pulled back valuable time late in her run to tie for victory with Austrian star Anna Fenninger at the season opening race. Adding to Shiffrin's challenge were the raucous Austrian fans, urging on Fenninger's every turn, and providing a substantial home snow advantage to last season's overall World Cup champion.
Shiffrin's late heroics were like the Boston Red Sox stealing a victory at Yankee Stadium in the ninth inning.
Her triumph on Saturday puts her in elite company with her veteran U.S. Ski Team teammates. She is the fourth American to win in Soelden since races began in 1993. Lindsey Vonn won in 2011. Ted Ligety has won the last three years and could make it four on Sunday and Bode Miller won in 2003 and 2004.
Over the past two seasons on tour, Shiffrin has convincingly established herself as the undisputed queen of slalom, winning two season titles and an Olympic gold medal in Sochi, Russia.
In 2013-14, the Vail, Colo., skier was dominant in the most technical of ski disciplines where tight gates are spaced 25 to 40 feet apart, nabbing five victories in seven races.
At the Sochi Games, Shiffrin displayed poise beyond her years and relished the grand stage. At age 18, she became the youngest Olympic slalom champion ever, defeating runner-up Marlies Schild of Austria by a substantial 0.53 seconds.
Undoubtedly, Shiffrin is now a huge threat in giant slalom also, where speeds are faster, skis are longer, gates are set further apart and the risk to be taken is greater.
"I'm very excited for her to move on to the next GS races – she is really strong," said U.S. Ski Team technical coach Roland Pfeifer.
Regarding Shiffrin's rapid maturity as an athlete, Pfeifer said: "She is unbelievable. It's very special. When you think about being 19 years with her potential, it's amazing."
Her opponents agree. "She's still so young and she's also inspiring me," said Fenninger, who won both gold and silver at the Sochi Olympics. "Mikaela is a big talent and her future is a good one."
By no means was Shiffrin's giant slalom victory a complete surprise. Last season, she finished second in a GS in Beaver Creek, Colo., narrowly missing the top step of the podium by 0.09. Shiffrin also finished fifth at the Olympic giant slalom in Sochi, just 0.23 away from a medal.
"It's very helpful to know that I can win GS," Shiffrin said. "I've thought it for so long and believed in myself, but today was the first day where between runs I was like, 'Yeah, I really think I can do this and can get that top step.' I really believed it."
"I like that giant slalom has been a big challenge for me," Shiffrin said when asked what she likes about the faster discipline. "Slalom came easier to me, but with GS, when I get my speed up sometimes I put my skis sideways because I'm afraid of going too fast and not making the next turn."
The immensely talented Vail, Colo. racer will be among the favorites, if not the favorite, in two events on home terrain as the 2015 World Championships come to her home in Vail/Beaver Creek next February.
Shiffrin returns to the race hill for the season opening slalom in Levi, Finland, on Nov. 15, then it's onward to Aspen, Colo., for a Nov. 29-30 giant slalom and slalom.
Plenty can happen over the course of a lengthy World Cup season which entails 35 races at 18 venues in 12 countries between now and the final in mid-March.
However, considering what transpired on Saturday, it's difficult to argue that Shiffrin won't be among contenders for the large crystal globe, which will be awarded to the world's best ski racer in Meribel, France, as the season concludes on March 22.
The last two races of the season are a slalom and giant slalom. More bad news for Shiffrin's rivals.
"When everybody asks what else is there to accomplish, I see four other events I can potentially win in," Shiffrin said. "I love slalom, but hopefully I can expand, broaden my horizons and see what I can accomplish."
If there ever was any doubt, Shiffrin is the real deal.