2014 Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. Celebrates After Crossing the Finish Line in the Women"s Slalom Fr
Mikaela Shiffrin of the U.S. celebrates after crossing the finish line in the women's slalom Friday
Shiffrin became the youngest skier, man or woman, to win an Olympic slalom and the first U.S. woman to win the slalom at the Olympics since Barbara Cochran took the gold 42 years ago at the 1972 Winter Games.
It was the fifth medal and second gold of the Games for the U.S. ski team which, after a ragged start, has tied its second-best Winter Olympics performance, matching the five it won in 1984 €" and that's without Olympic and world champion Lindsey Vonn, out with a knee injury. The all-time best performance was eight medals in Vancouver in 2010.
"I wish I could have an American flag on my back in every World Cup because that's a really cool feeling to hold that and know that you're not only representing yourself and your family or your team, but the entire country that you come from," Shiffrin said. "I owe this to so many people, and I'm so glad I could share it with them."
Not only did Shiffrin set a record for youngest Olympic slalom winner, but Schild set a record for oldest Olympic slalom medalist and also became the first woman to win slalom medals in three consecutive Olympics.
To share the podium with the legendary Schild was moving for Shiffrin.
"My first podium I was on the podium with Marlies," Shiffrin said. "She was kind of my inspiration for my slalom skiing. I always wanted to challenge her to take it a step up, to do what she does, but better. I'm just so excited to share this moment with her, too."
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN IN PICTURES
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MIKAELA SHIFFRIN FULLSCREEN Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Sports FULLSCREEN
Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin is congratulated by Kathrin Zettel and Marlies Schild (AUT) after winning gold in the women's slalom. Marlies Schild (AUT), Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) and Kathrin Zettel celebrate after winning medals in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin crosses the finish line to win the gold medal in slalom at the Sochi Olympics. Shiffrin on her second run in the women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin on the first run of women's slalom in the Sochi Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin on the first run of women's slalom in the Sochi Olympics. Shiffrin after her final run in giant slalom at the Sochi Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin in the first run of the giant slalom at the Sochi Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin on the first run of the giant slalom at the Sochi Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin during a press conference in Sochi. The United States' Mikaela Shiffrin has won two World Cup races, both of which have come before she turned 18. Mikaela Shiffrin clears a gate during the first run of the World Cup slalom race in Zagreb, Croatia, on Jan. 4, 2013. The United States' Mikaela Shiffrin was named Snow Queen after winning her second World Cup slalom race in Zagreb, Croatia. Seventeen-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin darts down the slopes of Sljeme in Croatia on Jan. 4, 2013, en route to a first-place finish in the World Cup slalom race. The United States' Mikaela Shiffrin stands at the podium of the World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia, with Sweden's Frida Hansdotter (left) and Canada's Erin Mielzynski (right). Shiffrin finished first, while Hansdotter came in second and Mielzynski third. Mikaela Shiffrin collects herself after winning the World Cup slalom race in Zagreb, Croatia, on Jan. 4, 2013. Mikaela Shiffrin pops open the champagne on the podium after winning the World Cup slalom race in Croatia. United States' Mikaela Shiffrin (center) celebrates her second World Cup slalom victory during the trophy ceremony with Sweden's Frida Hansdotter (left), who came in second, and Canada's Erin Mielzynski (right), who finished third. Mikaela Shiffrin won her first World Cup slalom race in Are, Sweden, on Dec. 20, 2012. The United States' Mikaela Shiffrin became the second youngest American to win an alpine World Cup with her victory Dec. 20, 2012, in Sweden. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates after taking third place in the women's slalom race in the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Levi, Finland, on Nov. 10, 2012. Mikaela Shiffrin finished in third place at the World Cup in the women's slalom in Lienz, Austria, on Dec. 29, 2011. It was her first time on the World Cup podium.
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Schild, 14 years older than Shiffrin, was a gracious runner-up, even though for the third consecutive Olympics, her medal was not a gold one.
"She is amazing," Schild said of Shiffrin. "She's racing like she's been on the World Cup for years. I like to watch her ski. I feel like she's really deserving of this gold medal today."
Even though Shiffrin said she had been visualizing this moment, she gently shook her head back and forth several times during the post-race flower ceremony, as if she couldn't believe what was happening to her.
Shiffrin had the fastest first-run time €" a smooth, fluid run of 52.62 seconds beat the defending Olympic champion, Hoefl-Riesch, by 0.49 seconds, and the defending World Cup overall champion, Maze, by 0.67 seconds.
Schild, the greatest female slalom skier in history, with a record 35 World Cup wins, finished way back (1.34 seconds behind Shiffrin) in the first run.
Shiffrin was in a similar spot as U.S. teammate Ted Ligety after the first run of the giant slalom Wednesday. Ligety nursed his big lead, racing conservatively in the second run and claiming the gold.
Shiffrin's lead was not quite as large as Ligety's, though.
In the second run, after Hoefl-Riesch and Maze couldn't post fast times, Shiffrin kicked out of the start hut with a 1.34-second lead on Schild, who had the fastest second-run time and held the lead with only Shiffrin left to go among the contenders.
She started out smoothly but, just after a flush of gates, she got her weight too far back and her left ski came off the snow. For a moment, it looked like she might fall.
"That was pretty terrifying," Shiffrin said. "I was like, 'Oh, I'm going to win my first medal.' But in the middle I was like, 'Guess not!'
"I got going a little bit faster... I mean, the whole goal of this whole fiasco was just to ski my best, have some fun with it and put on a show for everybody watching."
Said U.S. women's slalom coach Roland Pfeifer: "I thought, 'It's over.' Sometimes Mikaela for some reason, when she's really hammering it, she gets in the back seat a little bit. That was brutal. I can't describe how I felt."
The morning of the race, though, Pfeifer was convinced Shiffrin was ready.
"She was really confident," he said. "She was saying, 'I'm going to win this thing. I'm going to do the same thing (Ted) Ligety did. I'm the world champion, and I'm going to do it.'"
When Shiffrin got to the finish area, she took a few moments to look at the scoreboard.
"I was a little bit scared to look at it," she said. "I was like, 'Man, I gave it all away, I know it.' And then I'm always in this little frenzy of finding it. It seems like they always put it in this corner, in this little pocket where I can't see. I'm looking around frantic like, 'Where am I?' I found it and was like, 'Whew, I got that one out of the way.'"
Shiffrin's parents, Jeff and Eileen, both of whom have helped coach and develop her, were there to see the triumph €" and experience the near-disaster.
"When her ski went up, I almost died," her mother said. "I was like, 'No!' That's what happened in Kranjska Gora (Slovenia), in her last race, and she dumped a
Shiffrin became the youngest skier, man or woman, to win an Olympic slalom and the first U.S. woman to win the slalom at the Olympics since Barbara Cochran took the gold 42 years ago at the 1972 Winter Games.
It was the fifth medal and second gold of the Games for the U.S. ski team which, after a ragged start, has tied its second-best Winter Olympics performance, matching the five it won in 1984 €" and that's without Olympic and world champion Lindsey Vonn, out with a knee injury. The all-time best performance was eight medals in Vancouver in 2010.
"I wish I could have an American flag on my back in every World Cup because that's a really cool feeling to hold that and know that you're not only representing yourself and your family or your team, but the entire country that you come from," Shiffrin said. "I owe this to so many people, and I'm so glad I could share it with them."
Not only did Shiffrin set a record for youngest Olympic slalom winner, but Schild set a record for oldest Olympic slalom medalist and also became the first woman to win slalom medals in three consecutive Olympics.
To share the podium with the legendary Schild was moving for Shiffrin.
"My first podium I was on the podium with Marlies," Shiffrin said. "She was kind of my inspiration for my slalom skiing. I always wanted to challenge her to take it a step up, to do what she does, but better. I'm just so excited to share this moment with her, too."
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN IN PICTURES
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MIKAELA SHIFFRIN FULLSCREEN Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Sports FULLSCREEN
Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin is congratulated by Kathrin Zettel and Marlies Schild (AUT) after winning gold in the women's slalom. Marlies Schild (AUT), Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) and Kathrin Zettel celebrate after winning medals in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates winning gold in women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin crosses the finish line to win the gold medal in slalom at the Sochi Olympics. Shiffrin on her second run in the women's slalom. Mikaela Shiffrin on the first run of women's slalom in the Sochi Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin on the first run of women's slalom in the Sochi Olympics. Shiffrin after her final run in giant slalom at the Sochi Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin in the first run of the giant slalom at the Sochi Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin on the first run of the giant slalom at the Sochi Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin during a press conference in Sochi. The United States' Mikaela Shiffrin has won two World Cup races, both of which have come before she turned 18. Mikaela Shiffrin clears a gate during the first run of the World Cup slalom race in Zagreb, Croatia, on Jan. 4, 2013. The United States' Mikaela Shiffrin was named Snow Queen after winning her second World Cup slalom race in Zagreb, Croatia. Seventeen-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin darts down the slopes of Sljeme in Croatia on Jan. 4, 2013, en route to a first-place finish in the World Cup slalom race. The United States' Mikaela Shiffrin stands at the podium of the World Cup in Zagreb, Croatia, with Sweden's Frida Hansdotter (left) and Canada's Erin Mielzynski (right). Shiffrin finished first, while Hansdotter came in second and Mielzynski third. Mikaela Shiffrin collects herself after winning the World Cup slalom race in Zagreb, Croatia, on Jan. 4, 2013. Mikaela Shiffrin pops open the champagne on the podium after winning the World Cup slalom race in Croatia. United States' Mikaela Shiffrin (center) celebrates her second World Cup slalom victory during the trophy ceremony with Sweden's Frida Hansdotter (left), who came in second, and Canada's Erin Mielzynski (right), who finished third. Mikaela Shiffrin won her first World Cup slalom race in Are, Sweden, on Dec. 20, 2012. The United States' Mikaela Shiffrin became the second youngest American to win an alpine World Cup with her victory Dec. 20, 2012, in Sweden. Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates after taking third place in the women's slalom race in the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Levi, Finland, on Nov. 10, 2012. Mikaela Shiffrin finished in third place at the World Cup in the women's slalom in Lienz, Austria, on Dec. 29, 2011. It was her first time on the World Cup podium.
Next Slide
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PHOTOS
Schild, 14 years older than Shiffrin, was a gracious runner-up, even though for the third consecutive Olympics, her medal was not a gold one.
"She is amazing," Schild said of Shiffrin. "She's racing like she's been on the World Cup for years. I like to watch her ski. I feel like she's really deserving of this gold medal today."
Even though Shiffrin said she had been visualizing this moment, she gently shook her head back and forth several times during the post-race flower ceremony, as if she couldn't believe what was happening to her.
Shiffrin had the fastest first-run time €" a smooth, fluid run of 52.62 seconds beat the defending Olympic champion, Hoefl-Riesch, by 0.49 seconds, and the defending World Cup overall champion, Maze, by 0.67 seconds.
Schild, the greatest female slalom skier in history, with a record 35 World Cup wins, finished way back (1.34 seconds behind Shiffrin) in the first run.
Shiffrin was in a similar spot as U.S. teammate Ted Ligety after the first run of the giant slalom Wednesday. Ligety nursed his big lead, racing conservatively in the second run and claiming the gold.
Shiffrin's lead was not quite as large as Ligety's, though.
In the second run, after Hoefl-Riesch and Maze couldn't post fast times, Shiffrin kicked out of the start hut with a 1.34-second lead on Schild, who had the fastest second-run time and held the lead with only Shiffrin left to go among the contenders.
She started out smoothly but, just after a flush of gates, she got her weight too far back and her left ski came off the snow. For a moment, it looked like she might fall.
"That was pretty terrifying," Shiffrin said. "I was like, 'Oh, I'm going to win my first medal.' But in the middle I was like, 'Guess not!'
"I got going a little bit faster... I mean, the whole goal of this whole fiasco was just to ski my best, have some fun with it and put on a show for everybody watching."
Said U.S. women's slalom coach Roland Pfeifer: "I thought, 'It's over.' Sometimes Mikaela for some reason, when she's really hammering it, she gets in the back seat a little bit. That was brutal. I can't describe how I felt."
The morning of the race, though, Pfeifer was convinced Shiffrin was ready.
"She was really confident," he said. "She was saying, 'I'm going to win this thing. I'm going to do the same thing (Ted) Ligety did. I'm the world champion, and I'm going to do it.'"
When Shiffrin got to the finish area, she took a few moments to look at the scoreboard.
"I was a little bit scared to look at it," she said. "I was like, 'Man, I gave it all away, I know it.' And then I'm always in this little frenzy of finding it. It seems like they always put it in this corner, in this little pocket where I can't see. I'm looking around frantic like, 'Where am I?' I found it and was like, 'Whew, I got that one out of the way.'"
Shiffrin's parents, Jeff and Eileen, both of whom have helped coach and develop her, were there to see the triumph €" and experience the near-disaster.
"When her ski went up, I almost died," her mother said. "I was like, 'No!' That's what happened in Kranjska Gora (Slovenia), in her last race, and she dumped a