The two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin foregoes a start in the downhill on Wednesday at the Pyeongchang Winter Games (11.00 o’ clock OZ/3.00 o’ clock CET in the LIVETICKER).
This was announced by the US Ski Association on Monday evening (OZ). Shiffrin wants to concentrate on the alpine combination, which was brought forward from Friday to Thursday (11.00/15.00 o’ clock OZ, 3.00/7.00 o’ clock CET) due to the weather.
“As much as I would have liked to go downhill, after changing the program, it is important for me to focus my energy on preparing for the combination,”said Shiffrin.
The 22-year-old was seeded in the American team next to Speed-Queen Lindsey Vonn for the race in the supreme discipline. In South Korea, however, it had already failed in the first week to win medals in two competitions on two consecutive days.
After gold in the giant slalom last Thursday, Shiffrin finished fourth in her showpiece discipline Slalom, in which she became Olympic champion for the first time in 2014, on Friday. Shiffrin is considered the top favourite in the combination, whereas gold seems to be out of reach for her in the downhill. The first contenders for the Olympic victory are Vonn and Sofia Goggia (Italy).