For a ski racer as gifted and a success as Mikaela Shiffrin, the primary of 3 scheduled downhill coaching runs would no longer be an important tournament beneath commonplace instances, even at an Olympics.
Her travel Saturday via fog and the occasional flittering snowflakes was once essential, even though. Shiffrin nonetheless isn’t certain whether or not she’ll input the downhill on Tuesday.
She was once no longer pushing herself to the maximum degree — no explanation why to, for what quantities to a tradition consultation — and her in the long run inconsequential time of one minute, 34.80 seconds was once ninth-fastest amongst all 46 starters, fifth-fastest amongst those that didn’t pass over a gate.
“It felt sturdy and forged. And I used to be in a excellent place,” mentioned Shiffrin, who had no longer educated, let on my own raced, on downhill skis since completing thirty eighth within the Global Cup forestall at Lake Louise, Alberta, on Dec. 4. “It was once by no means horrifying at any level and just a bit little bit of that exhilarating feeling.”