Mikaela Shiffrin is content with finishing fifth this time around because she has consistently won a medal in the world slalom

Austria’s SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM (AP) — All that hype about a 16th medal that broke the record. and continuing her winning streak at the world championships, where she has won six medals in six career slalom competitions.

When Mikaela Shiffrin stood third after the opening run on Saturday, waving American flags and holding up signs honoring the most successful skier of all time, the diverse group of international fans who gathered in the Austrian Alps may have entertained the idea of witnessing those accomplishments.

Although she suffered severe injuries to her oblique muscles and a deep puncture wound that caused her insides to drain out of the side of her abdomen during a giant slalom race in Killington, Vermont, ten weeks ago, Shiffrin herself never really expected much more than to finish fifth in only her second full slalom race.

“Today was exactly what I expected,” Shiffrin remarked. “Coming back mid-season during world championships, when everyone is talking about the medals and all the other athletes are fighting and at their best, after eight weeks of surgery and six weeks of lying in bed with a drainage tube, is a strange place to be.” Additionally, I’m attempting to determine my exact position in the sport.

Because of “PTSD-eque” concerns over her crash in Killington, Shiffrin decided not to defend her giant slalom title, even though she and Breezy Johnson won gold in the new team combined event at these championships.

All of this has been “perhaps one of the biggest learning experiences of my career,” she added.

The combined gold matched the record set by German skier Christl Cranz in the 1930s and was Shiffrin’s 15th world championship medal. To attempt to become the most decorated skier in the competition’s history, she will now have to wait until the next worlds in Crans, Montana, Switzerland, in two years.

Shiffrin had won the first of four golds in a row in 2013 at the age of 17, and she earned medals in all six of her prior global slalom competitions. She then won silver in 2023 and bronze in 2021.

Zrinka Ljutic, a rising Croatian talent, described Shiffrin’s slalom streak as “alien.” Now that it’s over, she can reflect on how exceptional it was and understand that it didn’t end because she can no longer dominate the sport; rather, it ended because she was slowed by the two most serious crashes of her career in the previous two seasons.

Indeed, everything may go wrong. Additionally, there are moments when it seems like everything goes wrong. However, when I reflect on my career to date, and there is still much more to come, it is amazing to consider everything that my team has accomplished and what we have done collectively to achieve such consistency,” Shiffrin remarked.

In addition to her Killington disaster, Shiffrin also collided rapidly with the safety nets during a downhill last season in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on the track that would host the Milan-Cortina Olympics the following year.

Even when you believe you’re doing everything correctly, Shiffrin said, “the last two years have been the biggest proof to the world about how much can go wrong.” Because everything seems so uncertain, moving ahead might be a little frightening. But I suppose that’s the way we think. And I’m going to make an effort to get used to that unfamiliar sensation.

In fourth place, Paul Moltzan is one spot ahead of teammate Shiffrin.

Shiffrin came in only five hundredths of a second short of placing on the podium or winning a medal. Even closer was her American compatriot Paula Moltzan, who finished fourth in a race won by Swiss skier Camille Rast, two hundredths off the podium.

Together with teammate Lauren Macuga, Moltzan placed fourth in the mixed team parallel event and took home a medal in giant slalom for the U.S. team.

Moltzan remarked, “It’s okay, my worst is fourth.” “I’m pleased with myself. A huge stage is the World Championships. I nearly competed in both the first and last events. And even though the past two weeks have been long, I’m content with it.

Being less than a year older than Shiffrin, Moltzan, 30, has seen practically every moment of her more successful teammate’s career up close.

“It’s difficult to have confidence after being out for two months,” Moltzan remarked. Mikaela is just getting back on her feet, but Rast is gaining momentum. She might return to her peak speed before the conclusion of the season, in my opinion.

Next weekend, Shiffrin intends to resume giant slalom competition.

Shiffrin intends to compete in the two giant slaloms and a slalom in Sestriere, Italy, as the World Cup circuit, which is skiing’s regular season, resumes next weekend. A record-breaking No. 100 will be her next victory.

In order to maintain a reasonably manageable start list (number), Shiffrin stated, “I kind of need to start racing GS.” “However, I believe I can improve my skiing to the point where I can compete without risk.”