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SPORTS Wednesday 28 december 2022
Shiffrin takes win No. 78 with 1st GS victory in 2022

SEMMERING, Austria (AP) three-day series, followed
— Mikaela Shiffrin had to by another GS on Wednes-
overcome a lot of pressure day and a night slalom the
Tuesday to end her one- next day.
year drought in women’s “The start of (an event) with
World Cup giant slaloms. three races is always a bit
And not all the pressure on nerve-racking. You hope
the American was coming that you are on the right
from her rivals. shape, that you can bring
Holding a big advantage intensity to the start,” Shiffrin
of 0.72 seconds, Shiffrin said.
found it hard to focus on Shiffrin won all three events
her last run. Standing in the when Semmering last host-
start house on top of the ed races on three consecu-
Panorama course, the race tive days in December 2016
leader could hear exactly and she was on her way to
how well her competitors the first of her four overall
were doing. World Cup titles.
“You can hear the (finish Tuesday’s race was also
area) announcer on the the first in a series of eight
top, she’s announcing in technical events in Austria,
English, so it’s really getting Croatia, and Slovenia.
into my head,” Shiffrin said The winner United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates after completing an alpine ski, women’s “It’s important to start this
after the race. World Cup giant slalom, in Semmering, Austria, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. block with good skiing, with
After she heard the an- Associated Press a good mindset, a good
nouncer enthusiastically And I was starting to get re- the lead of the discipline had just one podium result mentality, and the right
call new best times for Mar- ally nervous, so I just tried to standings, was 0.31 be- from the seven previous gi- motivation,” Shiffrin said.
ta Bassino and then for Pe- push. These other women hind in third. France’s Tessa ant slaloms in the calendar “I feel I’m there, so no mat-
tra Vlhová, Shiffrin tried to pushed so hard on the sec- Worley, who was third after year 2022. “Very special,” ter what happens the next
tell herself: “Just ignore it!” ond run, they almost caught the opening run, dropped Shiffrin said about ending two days, it’s a really, re-
She knew she had to push up all the way,” Shiffrin said. to fourth, and Olympic GS the drought. “GS is one of ally good place to start this
hard all the way and did The result marked Shiffrin’s champion Sara Hector of the hardest events for me, block.”
just that. Shiffrin lost nearly fourth World Cup win of the Sweden trailed by 1.52 in but also, when I’m skiing Sofia Goggia, the Italian
six-tenths of her advantage season and 78th overall, eighth. well, then it’s just amazing.” speed specialist who is
but ultimately beat Vlhová leaving her four short of the It was the 15th GS win in to- The race was a replace- runner-up to Shiffrin in the
by 0.13 seconds, the Ameri- women’s record set by her tal for Shiffrin, who was the ment for the season-open- overall standings, does not
can’s first triumph in the dis- former teammate Lindsey 2018 Olympic champion, ing giant slalom that was compete at Semmering,
cipline in more than a year. Vonn. but the first since triumph- canceled in another Aus- enabling the American
“It’s quite loud at the start, Bassino, who won the pre- ing in Courchevel, France, trian resort, Sölden, in Oc- to extend her lead to 205
there is a lot of distraction. vious GS and remains in in December 2021. She tober, and is the first in a points. q

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa in concussion protocol again

By ALANIS THAMES nized anything with regard you go and aggressively or stability sit out the re- “This is something that we
AP Sports Writer to any sort of hit. I can’t re- pursue a player like Teddy mainder of a game. have all of our fortunes
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) ally tell you exactly what it Bridgewater,” McDaniel The injury comes at a chal- ahead of us,” McDan-
— Dolphins quarterback was,” McDaniel said, add- said. If Tagovailoa did suf- lenging time for Miami (8-7), iel said, “so it’s up to us to
Tua Tagovailoa has re- ing that he got the news fer a concussion, it would which has lost four straight choose what we do with all
turned to the NFL’s concus- Monday afternoon. be his second this season. to fall to the bottom of the the past experiences, move
sion protocol, Miami coach The concussion protocol He entered the concus- AFC playoff field. on to the next game.”q
Mike McDaniel said Mon- is enacted whenever a sion protocol after taking
day. player reports concussion- a scary hit that knocked
Tagovailoa was experienc- related symptoms, even if him unconscious during Mi-
ing symptoms when he met he isn’t certain to have a ami’s Sept. 29 game at Cin-
with team doctors Mon- concussion. cinnati. He was stretchered
day, though McDaniel said There is no set timetable for off the field and returned
it is unclear if Tagovailoa exiting the protocol, so Ta- in Week 7. Tagovailoa
was concussed in Sunday’s govailoa could potentially took another hard hit four
26-20 loss to Green Bay. play in Sunday’s pivotal days before the Cincinnati
Tagovailoa appeared game at New England if game during a win over Buf-
to bang his head on the he advances through the falo. He appeared to show
ground when he was tack- NFL’s five-step process and concussion symptoms but
led in the second quarter is cleared. was evaluated and stayed
against the Packers, but he Teddy Bridgewater will in the game. The NFL later
never left the game and practice this week with the changed its concussion
was not evaluated for a first team, but McDaniel protocol to mandate that
concussion. said it is too early to name any player who shows pos- Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) looks to pass
“As far as the game was a starter for Week 17. sible concussion symptoms during the first half of an NFL football game against the Green
concerned, no one recog- “That’s one of the reasons including a lack of balance Bay Packers, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Associated Press