American skier Mikaela Shiffrin started the season a bit more embarrassed than the previous year. Despite the complications after the illness and the fall that threatened her start in Levi, Finland, she was able to capture the first triumph of the season.
The defender of the big crystal globe is already waiting for a race on home soil this weekend. Killington was one of her successful resorts for many years, she finished on the podium eight times in nine slaloms and giant slaloms, she was happy about the victory five times. The change occurred in the previous year, when she took 13th place, to which she also added fifth place for the second time.
However, not living up to expectations didn’t cripple her for the rest of the season and she comfortably broke records, won awards and won. She was not surprised by the following temporary loss of form, which lasted less than a month. “The best way to explain it is that it’s always about training and preparation. Every day my skiing has a different maximum limit,” she said in an interview with National Public Radio.
Several factors determine how he will handle the race. From health and feelings through snow conditions to the ability to recognize to find the fastest line on the track. “When all these parts are in place, I basically only have to think about this at the start of the race: ‚Stream it.‘ I don’t go for a Sunday walk. I’m at a race.
As my intensity increases, I power through the corners, trying to take as straight a line as possible without veering too far off track. So all these elements kind of fall into place and kind of get wrapped up under a blanket like: ‚Stay on track.‘“
And those are the words that can start her on the way to a good performance, and which she constantly repeats to herself. Other motivational phrases have no effect on her. “Each of us has different trigger words that help us get into the mentality that helps us ski as fast as possible.”
The failure a year ago in Killington was not the only one, nor was it the most painful in Mikaela Shiffrin’s career. When reminiscing about Beijing, he acknowledges that sometimes even a combination of the most favorable factors is not enough for a triumph. “Sometimes it just doesn’t work. And that’s something to keep in mind, no matter how much work you do. Sometimes it doesn’t work. But overall, you will come out of it in a better place. It’s just that no matter what, there are ups and downs. But you will feel that the whole journey was worth it.”
According to the American, it is important to keep fighting when looking for the right path and under pressure. In the same way, expect the worst and there is no need to isolate similar feelings. “In everything you do – probably in life, but certainly in sports – you have to go into it knowing that you will fail. And knowing that it will probably be painful, because it’s supposed to be. If you care at all about the thing, it should hurt and you should feel disappointed.
I’ve found that sometimes in the most emotional, difficult moments, you have to take your self-confidence and ego out of it and just know that it’s something that happens to everyone. It happens to everyone. You can’t avoid it.”
See also an exclusive interview with Mikaela Shiffrin:
2023-11-24 07:50:00
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