The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics saw Mikaela Shiffrin display her moves in the giant slalom competition. Given her stature, she was expected to be the dominant racer during the competitions. However, in a rather disappointing turn of events, the talented skier could not complete her giant slalom run as she slid away after a couple of gates. Now, she opens up on her heartbreaking exit.
Some perspective on how rare that DNF in a giant slalom is for Mikaela Shiffrin: Her last was on Jan. 23, 2018. Since, she had raced 28 GSs, including one at the Olympics. Results: nine wins, 17 top-threes, only one finish worse than seventh. Just stunning.
— Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) February 7, 2022
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In arguably one of the toughest races of her career, there were many new competitors lining up to take her crown. Sara Hector led the race after round one as her rival, Petra Vlhova, too qualified for the next round.
Mikaela Shiffrin expresses her disappointment
Heading to China, Shiffrin was expected to create history in Alpine skiing. Notably, she is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Aiming to defend her giant slalom Olympic crown, she would be disappointed to not put in a strong showing.
“Gonna rest. Focus on what I can control for the slalom. There is still long two weeks to go and I am still looking forward to it and I’m just. I am sorry that that was the performance I did today. But, that also happens and well, I wanna hide the disappointment but I am also not gonna dwell on that. That’s not gonna help me at all,” said Shiffrin.
"I'm sorry that that was the performance I did today but that also happens."
Mikaela Shiffrin reacts to her giant slalom race.
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💻 https://t.co/XbQPOeX2QY pic.twitter.com/LNhHu6Yzna— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 7, 2022
Still not over!
The next race is the slalom competition on Wednesday. She won the gold medal during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, with that being the first gold medal of her career. Now, the talented skier missed the gate in the run and the race was over right there for her. However, calm and composed throughout the whole process, she focuses on her future competitions now.
“I’m not going to cry about this, because that’s just wasting energy,” said Shiffrin.
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Wise words from a champion, both on and—more importantly—off the hill. ONWARD @MikaelaShiffrin!! 🤙🤙#Olympics #AlpineSkiing pic.twitter.com/CFIBHcFolB
— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) February 7, 2022
Surely, Shiffrin will not go down without a fight. With the events coming in thick and fast, Shiffrin would hope to put on a strong showing the next time around.
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