Shiffrin still chasing Vonn’s record
Kranjska Gora, The Gulf Observer: Mikaela Shiffrin’s pursuit of Lindsey Vonn’s women’s World Cup wins record will go on for at least another day. Shiffrin finished tied for sixth in a giant slalom on Saturday to end her winning streak at five races.
Shiffrin remained at 81 career wins — one victory away from Vonn’s mark of 82 victories.
Valerie Grenier of Canada won the race by a comfortable margin for her first career victory by posting the fastest times in both runs. Marta Bassino finished second, 0.37 behind, and Petra Vlhova completed the podium, 0.40 behind.
Shiffrin, who finished 1.33 back, can still match Vonn in another giant slalom scheduled for the same course on Sunday.“I don’t mind talking about it and I’m not tired of it,” Shiffrin said.
“I’m just like, ‘It is what it is.’ Everybody is going to say, ‘You have the chance to win 82 races and equalize the record,’ every single race until I actually do it — if I do it.
Shiffrin still chasing Vonn’s record as her win streak ends
“So it kind of doesn’t make a difference. I still want to go out and do my best skiing every day. And today that was the best I could do. But maybe I can make some improvements for tomorrow.”
Shiffrin stood fifth after the opening run but had only the 18th-fastest second run.
“The thing that stands out in my mind was just one turn. I went quite wide on this second run, but I don’t think that turn was what cost me so much,” Shiffrin said.
“So I have to look at the final pitch and also just think about what I can do to be more aggressive. But the most important thing is also just to get some energy back.”
Already with seven wins this season, Shiffrin is also quickly approaching Ingemar Stenmark’s overall record — between men and women — of 86 victories.
Vonn retired four years ago when injuries ended her pursuit of Stenmark’s record.Grenier’s best finishes in her 89 previous World Cup races were fourth in this race last year and fourth in a super-G in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in 2019.
