Shiffrin wins slalom bronze, her 4th medal at this world championships in Italy
Mikaela Shiffrin, of Edwards, closed out the world championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on Saturday with a bronze medal in the slalom, her fourth medal at the two-week world championships.
Her 11th world championship medal ties her with France’s Marielle Goitschel and Sweden’s Anja Paerson for the most by a woman in the modern era (since 1948).
Austria’s Katharina Liensberger won the slalom on Saturday, and Petra Vlhova finished with the silver; Shiffrin finished 1.98 seconds behind the leader after sitting in fourth after the the first race.
“It’s been a pretty incredible couple of weeks,” Shiffriin told the NBC Sports broadcast after the slalom, still breathing heavily under her mask. “I never imagined that I could win four medals in one world championships. That’s quite a spectacular feeling.”
Shiffrin went on to add she wished she could have placed better in some races over the two weeks, but knew her competition was strong.
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“It’s been a lot of ups and downs, for sure,” she said of her challenges this year. “It’s been a very emotional year. Right now, I’m feeling pretty grateful to be able to smile a lot more often. Every day I feel a little more excited for the next day to come. … It’s come a long way in a year.”
In addition to ski racing challenges this past year, Shiffrin has been dealing with the death of her father.
“Some days I feel good … and then the next day it hits you like a train. What I’ve heard is it’s like this the rest of your life,” Shiffrin said. “I don’t think there’s a time I feel perfect, but these two weeks have been a big step in my ability to focus and control my emotions during the day and still fight.”
On Thursday, Feb. 12, Shiffrin opened the worlds with a bronze in the super-G. On Monday, she won the combined — her first time competing in the event at the world championships. On Thursday, she took silver in the GS; followed by Saturday’s bronze in slalom.
With her win on Monday, her sixth world champs title ties for the most in U.S. alpine history, surpassing Ted Ligety, and her 11 total are the most of any woman U.S. skier.
