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Mikaela Shiffrin opts out of downhill at Pyeongchang Olympics

Mikaela Shiffrin is not racing in Wednesday, Feb. 21's Olympic downhill because the combined has been moved to Thursday, Feb. 22, or Wednesday in Colorado.
Michael Probst | Associated Press | AP

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — Mikaela Shiffrin said late Monday that she would not compete in Wednesday’s downhill.

After the alpine combined was moved from Friday to Thursday due to weather, Shiffrin would have been racing on consecutive days.

“As much as I wanted to compete in the Olympic downhill, with the schedule change it’s important for me to focus my energy on preparing for the combined,” Shiffrin said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to cheering on our girls racing in the downhill and to compete myself in Thursday’s combined.



“This track is incredible and it has been so fun to ski these last few days. As with every downhill I have skied this year I am learning so much with each run. Each time I get to the finish I just want to go back to the top and do it again!”

The 22-year-old Eagle-Vail resident finished 23rd and 16th in downhill training on Sunday and Monday, respectively.

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Shiffrin won gold in the giant slalom on Thursday, but failed to medal in the slalom, which is normally her strongest event. She didn’t race in Saturday’s slalom.

She’ll end up competing in three events at the Pyeongchang Olympics. Some had speculated that she would compete in five.


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