World Ski Championships: All eyes on Shiffrin
Shiffrin has another medal in his sights © AFP/SID/JEFF PACHOUD
Ski queen Mikaela Shiffrin will be even more the focus of the World Cup giant slalom on Thursday than it already is.
Ski queen Mikaela Shiffrin will be even more in the spotlight at the World Cup giant slalom on Thursday (9.45 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. / ARD and Eurosport) than already. It was announced on Wednesday that the 27-year-old American and her longtime head coach Mike Day are now going their separate ways. An end to the collaboration was obviously only planned for the end of the season.
Shiffrin, who won her twelfth World Cup medal following failing in the combination in the Super-G that followed, is still the big favorite in the race. She has won five of the previous eight giant slaloms this season, the last three of them in a row.
However, the number of her competitors is also very large. In addition to Olympic champion Sarah Hector (Sweden), the defending champion and Olympic bronze medalist Lara Gut-Behrami (Switzerland), the new combined world champion and Olympic bronze medalist Federica Brignone (Italy) and the super-G world champion Marta Bassino (Italy) hopes.
For the German starters, it’s all regarding a respectable placement. Emma Aicher (Mahlstetten), Jessica Hilzinger (Oberstdorf) and Kira Weidle (Starnberg) did not have a result in the top 30 in the giant slalom, i.e. in the points. The last top ten result in this discipline came three years ago with a seventh place for former Olympic champion Viktoria Rebensburg, who has since retired.
