Mikaela Shiffrin targets ‘fighting for points’ after first giant slalom since injury - ‘A big step’
By Becky Hart
Published 21/02/2025 at 18:36 GMT
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Mikaela Shiffrin finished the giant slalom in Sestriere in Italy in 25th place, her first attempt at that discipline since she suffered a freak puncture injury to her oblique muscles in Killington last November. But while getting to the finish line in one piece is a step forward for the record-breaking American, realigning her goals for the season is taking some getting used to.
Shiffrin ringt mit den Worten: "Muss ich erst verarbeiten"
Video credit: TNT Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin continued her comeback with her first appearance in the giant slalom since suffering a serious injury to her oblique muscles racing that format late last year.
The American has returned to the slopes competitively but Sestriere marked her first attempt at racing the giant slalom. She successfully completed both runs to place 25th, with Federica Brignone winning the World Cup race.
But while there are positives to take from her return, Shiffrin has had to readjust her aims for the season - and contemplate chasing the sort of results that she very much is not used to.
"It’s exciting to be back on the [Giant Slalom] start," Shiffrin told Eurosport after the race.
"It's also a bit confusing… to be disconnected with how I’m trying to feel and how I’m really, how it really skis, like the reality compared to how I’m feeling.
"The last days of training were pretty good, but in the end, racing is different to training."
Shiffrin was lying 18th after the first run, but dropped to 25th after the second run - 4.65s off the winning time set by Brignone.
"It is really positive to have this race, it’s kind of like the next step in the training, but for sure, by the end I can’t be five seconds behind if the top women are skiing their best and that’s hard to imagine, to make that much improvement," Shiffrin added.
"For the rest of the season, I feel my goal is fighting for some points, and try to stay in the top 30 in GS.
"Which is a very different position from the last many years when I was fighting for podiums. It’s not - that’s not where I am right now and that’s okay.
"[A] big step today was that I felt that I pushed out of the gate, that’s a big step from not racing at all. But sometimes when you are used to being in the position to fight for top 10, top five, podiums, it feels like - it doesn’t feel like such a big step as it actually is."
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Highlights: Brignone claims giant slalom win on home snow
Video credit: TNT Sports
Shiffrin was chasing her record-extending 100th World Cup win earlier this season, having moved to 99 wins with victory in the slalom in Gurgl.
But then came the accident in Killington - and given the unusual nature of her injury, Shiffrin admitted at the time she was not sure how long she would be out for, nor how any comeback would go.
So, to be back racing clearly matters to the American, even if she is fighting for positions much lower down the pecking order.
And given her fiercely competitive nature, it was no surprise to hear that Shiffrin already knows where to improve.
"I think I would like to try to bring a bit more intensity and power to my turns, but it needs to be a small step, not a big step or else I'll go backwards again," she said.
"And if I can find a way to be a bit more clean to take on the turn, like the pace of it, I think that could be a bit faster for sure.
"The tricky thing right now is in my head, I have an image and I have a feeling and then when I go to ski, it actually feels like I’m doing it and then I’m not so, it’s tough to know what to do to improve.
"But again, it’s just a phase that I’m in. I have to kind of accept that, but I don’t want to be satisfied of course."
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