It’s Another Bronze for Mikaela Shiffrin in Super-G World Cup Race
by Bob Reinert
Mikaela Shiffrin takes 3rd place during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Super G on Dec. 12, 2021 in St Moritz Switzerland.
After gusty winds caused a delay in the race start, Mikaela Shiffrin of Team USA won her second bronze medal in as many days Sunday in women’s world cup super-G competition in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Shiffrin turned in a time of 58.24 seconds on the challenging course, 0.43 second behind Federica Brignone, who became Italy’s all-time winningest woman in the discipline with her fifth world cup gold. Italian teammate Elena Curtoni took the silver medal in 57.92 seconds.
Brignone’s performance was particularly impressive, given that she had watched Saturday’s winner, Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland, ski off the course and crash through both fences on her run. Gut-Behrami was able to get up and ski down the hill after the mishap.
“I was a bit nervous … with not a lot of training,” Shiffrin told the Olympic Channel. “You don’t really get a course report at all. You don’t have time to get a course report. So, you really just have to get a really good inspection and then somehow know the feeling you’re going to have on the course before you’ve really tested it out or seen it or anything.”
Shiffrin noted that the gusty conditions didn’t make things any easier.
“Especially with some wind, you get these pushes from behind, and then you speed up like crazy, and it’s a little bit unexpected,” Shiffrin said. “I just tried to push my line and trust that and make good turns and stand strong on the skis. It was pretty fun to ski, actually, amazing surface. Nicer that it’s sunny today. It was definitely challenging.”
Of Shiffrin’s seven world cup super-G podiums, four have come in St. Moritz. She claimed victory in the Swiss ski resort in December 2018.
Shiffrin now stands fourth in the current world cup super-G standings with 160 points. Sofia Goggia of Italy, second in Saturday’s race, holds down first place with 220 points.
American Breezy Johnson placed 24th Sunday in 59.71 seconds, followed by teammates Jacqueline Wiles (39th), Nina O’Brien (40th), and Tricia Mangan (43rd).