OlympicTalk · Dec 3, 2016
Mikaela Shiffrin wrestles with doubt in seconds before World Cup downhill debut
Mikaela Shiffrin tied for 18th in the first downhill of her World Cup career in Lake Louise, Alberta, on Friday.
Shiffrin, the youngest Olympic slalom champion who has also won a World Cup giant slalom, has been slowly adding the speed events of super-G and downhill to her repertoire the last two seasons.
Her result Friday, 1.99 seconds behind Slovenian winner Ilka Stuhec, came after Shiffrin was 18th, 24th and 30th fastest in downhill training runs the previous three days. Shiffrin also had to wait several minutes in the start house as the racer before her crashed.
Stuhec won Friday’s race by .22 of a second over Italian Sofia Goggia. Swede Kajsa Kling was third.