Industry News
The question on everyone’s mind who is following Alpine racing is: when will Mikaela Shiffrin race again? The American ski racer got injured in Cortina d’Ampezzo in January and has not been seen since. While she did not rupture any ligaments, Shiffrin overstretched one of the ligaments in her knee and has been unable to race since.
It has been encouraging to hear that Shiffrin has been spotted training at Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, this week. The ski area in South Tyrol is one of her favorite ski areas and several international Slalom skiers have been training at Toblach/Dobbiaco this week. However, it has been reported Shiffrin still experiences pain in her knee while skiing. At least Dobbiaco is home to Shiffrin’s favorite Italian restaurant, Pizzeria Hans, so we hope she has gotten her fix of pizza and pasta during her time in South Tyrol.
With only six races left in the World Cup season before the World Cup finals in Saalbach, Austria, Shiffrin’s chances to reclaim the lead in the overall rankings are dwindling. Currently, Lara Gut-Behrami from Switzerland is leading with 1,414 points, 205 points ahead of Shiffrin. Three of the remaining events are Super-G, Gut-Behrami’s best discipline, so the odds are stacked in her favor. With only two technical disciplines left, Shiffrin will have to compete in at least one speed event to have a chance of claiming her sixth Overall Crystal Globe.
Shiffrin still has the lead in the Slalom rankings with 630 points, and with only one Slalom event left, the Slalom Crystal Globe is now certain to be hers. Lena Dürr, the only Slalom racer who had been able to dethrone Shiffrin two weeks ago, failed to podium in Soldeu, Andorra, putting her out of the race for the Slalom Crystal Globe.
If Shiffrin returns to competitive racing in Kvitfjell, Norway, she still stands a chance to win the Overall Crystal Globe, but Gut-Behrami has been having a fantastic season and could be hard to beat for Shiffrin after her knee injury. The race course in Norway has always been one of Shiffrin’s favorite courses, so we hope to see the GOAT of alpine skiing back in March.
FIS Alpine World Cup Women’s Calendar:
February 24-25, 2024
Val di Fassa, Italy
2 Super-G Events
March 2-3, 2024
Kvitfjell, Norway
Downhill & Super-G Events
March, 9-10, 2024
Åre, Sweden
Giant-Slalom and Slalom Event
