Shiffrin is concentrating on a smaller number of events for the Milan-Cortina Olympics in response to the obstacles she encountered in Beijing

Mikaela Shiffrin has already excluded herself from contending in the downhill at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.

It is possible that an additional event is being prepared for departure.

The two-time Olympic champion is uncertain about participating in the super-G, primarily due to a lack of training time. For the competitions scheduled from February 6 to 22, she may concentrate on giant slalom and slalom.

United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during an alpine ski, women’s World Cup slalom, in Sestriere, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati, File)

Mikaela Shiffrin, of the United States, crashes during the second run of a women’s World Cup giant slalom skiing race, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Killington, Vt. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

United States’ Mikaela Shiffrin poses with her commemorative skis for her 100th victory after an alpine ski, women’s World Cup slalom, in Sestriere, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati, File)

In a video conference call with reporters on Wednesday, Shiffrin expressed her admiration for super-G during her preparations for the season’s opening giant slalom race in Sölden, Austria, which is scheduled to take place this weekend. “I am hesitant to abandon it entirely, but it also necessitates that I engage in a significant amount of super-G training in the upcoming weeks, which is challenging to manage.”

At the 2021 world championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where women’s skiing will be contested at the Olympics, Shiffrin secured a bronze medal in super-G. In 2019, she also emerged victorious in the super-G event at the World Cup in Cortina.

In mid-December, Shiffrin will utilize a World Cup super-G race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, as an opportunity to assess her position in the competition. She is content with her decision. Particularly given the depth of the U.S. women’s team in the competition.

Shiffrin, who has won a record 101 World Cup races, expressed his skepticism regarding his ability to sustain the workload. “I am interested in trying it out.” I have yet to relinquish that aspiration; however, I have participated in six events during the Games. The experience of skiing all of the events was delightful; however, I would not engage in the activity again.

“It was a source of exhaustion for years following the event.”

Currently, she is emphasizing quality over quantity.

She competed in six events at the 2022 Beijing Games, but her best finish was fourth, and that was in the team event. Shiffrin failed to reach the finish line in her three most successful disciplines in Beijing: giant slalom, slalom, and combined. However, she emerged victorious in the slalom at the 2014 Sochi Games and the giant slalom four years later in South Korea.

Typically, I anticipate participating in three races. I believe that is a reasonable assumption,” Shiffrin stated, alluding to the new team combined event, which she won with Breezy Johnson at the world championships last season. This includes slalom, giant slalom, and the new team combined event.

In November of last year, Shiffrin sustained severe injury to her oblique muscles as a result of a crash at her home race in Killington, Vermont, which resulted in a puncture to her side. She is still in the process of regaining her ranking status.

She stated, “I feel my Olympic history and I feel — aged,” when asked to describe her Olympic history.

She burst into hilarity.

According to the 30-year-old Shiffrin, who made her Olympic début at the age of 18, “I am wise, but the more I know, the more I feel like I know nothing.” “I am also open-minded, if for nothing else, because my Olympic history has taught me to approach it with an open mind and to maintain a close relationship with the people I trust and care about. I must also be in agreement with my team and the individuals who will be around me the most.”

She further stated, “I believe we are entering the season in a very favorable position.” “I am optimistic about that, but I will be honest with you—the Olympics have been wonderful to me, and they have also been like a mosquito.” The perspective I would like to articulate is that the Olympics are not occurring to me; rather, I am occurring to them.

ANDREW DAMPF

Dampf has been a sports writer at The Associated Press for more than two decades, covering a variety of events in Italy and beyond, including five soccer World Cups, tennis, and Alpine skiing. He is based in Rome. He will be reporting from his tenth Olympics, the Milan-Cortina Games.