Mikaela Shiffrin goes into the world Alpine skiing championships having played catch-up all season: a 300-day break between races after her father’s death, a back injury that delayed her return and a global pandemic that sliced her training more than that of European rivals.
Yet she won twice in 10 starts since November (about the career winning percentage for many of the greatest ski racers in history). She made two other podiums and hasn’t finished lower than sixth in any World Cup. Shiffrin is ranked third in the world in slalom and fifth in giant slalom, events she won at the Olympics.