BEIJING — Mikaela Shiffrin is struggling on the mountain and off, and she needs to figure out which came first. Did she miss gates in the slalom and giant slalom because she is struggling mentally, or is she struggling mentally because she missed gates? These are deep questions that no skier wants to ask, let alone in the middle of the Olympics, but Shiffrin has to answer them for her own sake.
The 26-year-old is scheduled to ski the Super-G here Friday, and it will truly be a victory if she can just finish her run.