Page 18 - AT

A18 SPORTS
Friday 1 February 2019
Olympic lessons

make Shiffrin feel at

ease going into worlds

By ERIC WILLEMSEN pionships. That's not an un-
A year after the Py- likely scenario in a season
eongchang Olympics, Mi- where she has raised her
kaela Shiffrin is set for an- career total of World Cup
other multi-medal chase. slalom wins to 37, breaking
And there are some more the record set by her child-
records on the table, too. hood idol, Marlies Raich of
The Feb. 5-17 skiing world Austria.
championships in Are, Swe- "The biggest thing that the
den, will see Shiffrin return records mean for me is that
to the resort where she cel- when I was a little girl, I was
ebrated her first World Cup dreaming of being the best
win in 2012, triumphing in skier in the world," Shiffrin
slalom when she was only said. "And those records In this Nov. 25, 2018, file photo, United States' Mikaela Shiffrin smiles after winning the women's
17. are just validation that I am World Cup slalom ski event in Killington, Vt.
It's the same venue, how- living my dream. So that's Associated Press
ever, where the Eagle-Vail, the most I can realize out
Colorado, native suffered of them. Otherwise it's just at the worlds in her injury- A year ago, she was touted schedule in recent weeks
her only major injury three numbers on papers at the marred last season, Shiffrin a possible gold medalist to recharge. She didn't en-
years later, hurting her right end of the day." doesn't feel like she is now in all five Olympic events, ter speed events in St. An-
knee in warmups for a gi- Should everything go ac- taking over as the torch but the grueling World Cup ton, Austria, and Garmisch-
ant slalom. cording to plan, Shiffrin has carrier of U.S. ski racing. schedule unsettled her Partenkirchen, Germany,
"I have had incredible mo- a chance at becoming the "Lindsey was definitely the in the weeks before. And while skipping two downhills
ments there and also really most decorated American biggest star in U.S. ski rac- when bad weather forced she initially planned to race
heartbreaking moments," woman at major champi- ing for a while and for sure a rescheduling of races, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
the two-time overall World onships. To do so, she would I am doing, I don't know, Shiffrin ended up compet- Also at the worlds, races will
Cup champion told The As- have to make the podium big things right now," Shiffrin ing in only three events. be picked carefully by her
sociated Press. "All togeth- in the slalom, her signature said. "I don't feel like I am While she won the GS and team, consisting of coach-
er, Are is a really special event, along with the three going to be holding more took silver in the combined es Mike Day, Jeff Lackie
place. It has a lot of emo- other events she is expect- of the torch than I was this event, she missed out on and her mother, Eileen Shif-
tion for me." ed to enter — the super-G, year or last year or the year a medal in her strongest frin. While GS and slalom in
Over the next two weeks, the Alpine combined and before. I started kind of discipline. "It's always a the second week are cer-
the resort in central Swe- the giant slalom. coming into my own suc- learning experience at the tainties, the super-G - an
den's Jamtland province Her current haul of seven cesses well before Lindsey Olympics," she said. "The event Shiffrin has started
might become even more medals, including Olympic was ready to retire so it most important thing is just winning this season - and
special to her. gold in slalom (2014) and doesn't feel so much like that there are some things the Alpine combined re-
In the Feb. 16 slalom, the GS (2018), leaves her three passing the torch." that are out of your con- main tentative at this point.
last women's race, Shiffrin short of Lindsey Vonn's best Shiffrin knows too well that trol, some things you can- "It's going to be a decision
can become the first skier, mark, and four short of success at major champi- not predict and cannot we make last-minute," said
male or female, to win gold Bode Miller's overall Ameri- onships can't be planned, prepare for. Then it's best Shiffrin, who is set to race in
in the same event at four can record of 11. even for an athlete as to just let it go." This time, Maribor, Slovenia, on Friday
consecutive world cham- Regardless if Vonn can start dominating as her. Shiffrin scaled down her and Saturday. q

Bertens beats Bonaventure

in St. Petersburg opener

Petersburg Ladies Trophy way to the quarterfinals on Alison van Uytvanck 6-1,
quarterfinals Thursday. that occasion before losing 6-4.
Bertens easily saw off Bel- to Danielle Collins. In her first match since
gian qualifier Ysaline Bo- Bertens leads 3-2 in career reaching a career-high
naventure 6-4, 6-2 in their matches against Pavly- ranking of No. 10 on Mon-
second-round match, while uchenkova, though the day, the Belarusian trailed
Pavlyuchenkova saved five Russian has won their last 3-1 in the second before
of six break points on her two meetings. Thursday's winning four games in a
way to a 6-4, 6-4 upset of win over Bonaventure was row. Sabalenka, who had
Kiki Bertens of Netherlands returns the ball to Ysaline Bonaven- former French Open cham- Bertens' first match since a first-round bye, will next
ture of Belgium during the St. Petersburg Ladies Trophy-2019 ten- pion Jelena Ostapenko. her Australian Open loss face Ekaterina Alexandro-
nis tournament match in St.Petersburg, Russia, Thursday, Jan. 31,
2019. The eighth-ranked Bertens thanks to a bye in the first va, who beat qualifier Ter-
Associated Press lost to Pavlyuchenkova round in St. Petersburg. eza Martincova 7-5, 6-2.
two weeks ago in the sec- Earlier Thursday, Aryna Sa- Sabalenka defeated Alex-
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) set for a rematch of their ond round of the Australian balenka recovered from a androva 6-3, 6-3 this month
— Kiki Bertens and Anas- Australian Open encounter Open 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Pavly- second-set slipup to reach on her way to winning the
tasia Pavlyuchenkova are after both reached the St. uchenkova went all the the quarterfinals, beating Shenzhen Open title.q