Page 14 - ATD20MAR2023

A14 sports
Monday 20 March 2023

Shiffrin ends World Cup ski season with yet another record

SOLDEU, Andorra (AP) — being the youngest Olym-
After capping her record- pic slalom champion. That
setting season with career was really the only record
win 88, Mikaela Shiffrin was that I actually ever wanted,
asked one question over like really shot for," said Shif-
and over again – and she frin, who was 18 when she
couldn't really answer it. won her first Olympic gold
What's next? at the 2014 Sochi Games.
"What do you think will "It happened quite some
come next? How many time ago, and I'm still moti-
victories?," Johan Eliasch, vated today, I still had that
president of the Interna- nervous feeling up there. I
tional Ski and Snowboard was so nervous at the start
Federation, wanted to ... because you want to do
know after handing Shiffrin well. And it doesn't matter
her fifth big crystal globe, about records, it's just you
the prize for winning the want to do well."
World Cup overall title. With the sun beaming
"I don't have a guess at down on the Avet course,
how many," Shiffrin replied. Shiffrin held on to her a
"Sometimes a part of me first-run lead to edge Thea
feels like that's always my Louise Stjernesund by 0.06
last victory. I hope not, I seconds. The Norwegian
keep heading for more." United States' Mikaela Shiffrin poses with her trophies for the alpine ski, World Cup slalom discipline, earned her first career po-
A week after breaking the giant slalom discipline, and overall leader, right, in Soldeu, Andorra, Sunday, March 19, 2023. dium.Canadian skier Valer-
record of Swedish great Associated Press ie Grenier was third, trailing
Ingemar Stenmark, the The overall record, be- plans to improve for next champion Marco Oder- Shiffrin by 0.20.
American extended the all- tween men and women, season, Shiffrin quipped: matt, who set the men's Three of the top seven
time best mark for most ca- is held by Stenmark, who "We can discuss that later, record of 2,042 points. It's ranked racers did not finish
reer wins to 88 by winning won 46 giant slaloms in the in private." the first World Cup season their first runs, as Petra Vl-
the last race of the season, 1970s and 80s. Shiffrin also set a personal in which both the women's hova, who won Saturday's
a giant slalom at the World The "what's next?" ques- best of 2,206 World Cup and men's overall cham- slalom, Federica Brignone
Cup Finals on Sunday. tion also came from her points from 31 starts this pion finished on more than and Olympic champion
Her 21st career win in the boyfriend and World Cup season, two points more 2,000 points. Sara Hector all missed a
discipline marked yet an- downhill champion, Alek- than her tally from 2018-19, Sunday's result also marked gate.
other milestone as it moved sander Aamodt Kilde, who when she competed in 26 Shiffrin's record 138th ca- Two-time former world
Shiffrin past Swiss skier Vreni conducted a course-side races. reer World Cup podium, champion Tessa Worley
Schneider, who had 20 interview after the race. Only one skier secured moving her one ahead of placed 11th in what she
World Cup GS victories "I don't know, you guys tell more points in a single sea- former teammate Lindsey said would be the last race
between the mid-80s and me. Just keep moving right son: Slovenian great Tina Vonn's mark of 137. of her career. The French
mid-90s. The American has along," said Shiffrin, who Maze ended her 2012-13 But for Shiffrin, her personal GS specialist has won 16
won seven of the last eight also secured the slalom campaign on 2,414. favorite record came nine races and three season
events and took the GS and GS titles this season. Later, Shiffrin posed for years ago. titles, most recently last
world title last month. After Kilde asked her about photos with men's overall "Honestly, I think probably year.q

U.S. Open ‘very hopeful’ unvaccinated Novak Djokovic can play

for the U.S. Open in August. from Serbia, was unable in January. But he will now
"Policies concerning ac- to get to New York for the have missed the first two
cess to the United States season's last Grand Slam Masters 1000 events of the
are determined by the tournament in 2022, when season. He also pulled out
White House. We are very he also missed the Miami of the BNP Paribas Open
hopeful that the policy pre- Open and BNP Paribas in Indian Wells, California,
venting Novak Djokovic Open because he never which ends this weekend.
from entering the United got the shots for the illness Back in in April 2020, as the
States will be rescinded, or caused by the coronavirus. pandemic raged, Djokovic
lapse, in the near future," A six-time Miami Open said he was opposed to
the USTA's Chris Widmaier champion, Djokovic is out needing to be vaccinated
wrote to The Associated of the field for the event to travel. He later said he
Press. "No COVID-19 restric- that begins next week, a would not get inoculated
Serbia's Novak Djokovic looks up during the quarterfinals of the tions are in place at the spokesman for the Miami even if it meant missing
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab U.S. Open for any player, Open said Saturday. tournaments.
Emirates, Thursday, March 1, 2023. fan or other attendee. No- Djokovic is No. 1 in the ATP In January 2022, he tried
Associated Press vak, one of our sport's great rankings and is tied with Ra- to get an exemption to
By HOWARD FENDRICH eign citizen who is not vac- champions, would be wel- fael Nadal — who is injured compete at the Austra-
AP Tennis Writer cinated against COVID-19, come to compete at the and also won't be in Miami lian Open and traveled
After Novak Djokovic with- a U.S. Tennis Association 2023 U.S. Open." — at 22 Grand Slam titles, to Melbourne. But after his
drew from tournaments in spokesman said Saturday The two-week U.S. Open the record for most won by case went to court, his visa
Florida and California be- the group is "very hopeful" starts in Flushing Meadows a man. In 2023, Djokovic is was revoked and Djokovic
cause he still can't travel to the top-ranked player will on Aug. 28. 15-1 with two titles, includ- was deported from the
the United States as a for- be allowed into the country Djokovic, a 35-year-old ing at the Australian Open country.q