Page 15 - aruba-today-20230109

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sports Monday 9 January 2023
Shiffrin shows her emotions after matching Vonn’s record

By ANDREW DAMPF before and I've given it And at age 27, Shiffrin
AP Sports Writer away and today I wanted could compete for several
KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia to fight for it." more years and win many
(AP) — The emotions came Already with eight wins more races.
pouring out of Mikaela Shif- this season, Shiffrin is also "I knew from the very be-
frin when she matched quickly approaching Inge- ginning that she would be
Lindsey Vonn's women's mar Stenmark's overall re- the one to break all the re-
World Cup skiing record cord — between men and cords," Vonn wrote. "But to
with her 82nd win Sunday. women — of 86 victories. be able to do it at such a
First there was a scream of Vonn retired four years ago young age is really impres-
delight following a serious when injuries ended her sive."
case of nerves that had pursuit of Stenmark's re- Shiffrin's achievement
been building inside her cord. comes almost a year af-
throughout the day. Then Vonn wrote in an AP diary ter a disappointing perfor-
came tears during the that "if anyone is to break mance at the Beijing Olym-
playing of the American my record, I'm really happy pics, when she competed United States' Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning an alpine ski,
anthem when her thoughts that it's an American." in six events without win- women's World Cup giant slalom race, in Kranjska Gora, Slove-
turned to her father, Jeff, Shiffrin and Vonn now each ning a medal. nia, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023.
who died three years ago. have 20 more wins than the Winning this race, though, Associated Press
"My dad used to be there next woman on the all-time never really seemed in
and taking pictures. Most list, Annemarie Moser-Pröll doubt. trips down the steep Pod- much, much better this first
races these days I'll think of Austria at 62. On an overcast morning, koren course on Saturday, run than yesterday. I had
about him and I'm able While the often-injured Shiffrin was the first starter when she finished in a tie to try to change my feeling
to kind of refocus," Shiffrin Vonn required 395 races and laid down a much for sixth. from yesterday. It was very
said. "But when I'm singing for her 82 wins, Shiffrin has more aggressive opening "I couldn't ski faster," Shiffrin good skiing and I'm happy
the national anthem (it's done it in just 233 races. run than either of her two said after her first run. "I felt with that."q
different). It was just before
I ever won my first World
Cup, he said, 'You better
memorize the words of the
national anthem, because
if you ever win, you bet-
ter sing it.' And so I always
think about him when I'm
up there."
There were also an emo-
tional embrace between
Shiffrin and her mother,
Eileen, who has coached
the skier since childhood
and been with her daugh-
ter every step of the way
since her first World Cup
win slightly more than a de-
cade ago.
Shiffrin led from start to fin-
ish to win a giant slalom by
a large margin and can
now break Vonn's mark in
a night slalom scheduled
for Flachau, Austria, on
Tuesday.
"I was so nervous this run.
I have a rash on my face
I was so nervous," Shiffrin
said. "I don't know why,
maybe a little bit was be-
cause of 82. I just really
wanted to ski well, and I
did."
Where other skiers strug-
gled on a dark, bumpy
and unusually steep
course, Shiffrin was able to
ski smoothly.
"It was a fight. But it was
pretty amazing conditions
and I got a report from the
coaches and they were
like, 'It's really attackable,
so just go for it,'" she said.
"I've been in this position