Mikaela Shiffrin is back in action Tuesday night, looking to avenge her shock crash in the giant slalom as she tackles her favorite event: the women’s slalom.
It’s arguably the 26-year-old’s best shot at a gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics and the same event in which she burst onto the scene in Sochi, winning gold as an 18-year-old phenom.
To do it, she’ll not only have to negotiate the same “Ice River” course that swallowed her up 48 hours earlier in the GS, but do it quicker than her rivals which include Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova and Sweden’s Sara Hector, the GS gold medalist. Both women have had success against Shiffrin during the World Cup season.
But make no mistake, Shiffrin is the odds-on favorite to win any slalom race she enters. She’ll be joined by U.S. teammates Paula Moltzan, AJ Hurt and Katie Hensien in the event, which spans two runs. The athlete with the lowest combined time across both runs will top the podium.
Don’t miss the action LIVE on NBC starting at 9:15 p.m. ET, and follow along with our LIVE BLOG below for updates as the action unfolds.
STREAM ON NBCOLYMPICS.COM:
LIVE BLOG
1:24 p.m. ET – Leaders return to close out competition
The final five skiers are ready to make the second runs. Petra Vlhova currently leads with Sara Hector and Lena Duerr still to come.
11:02 p.m. ET – Germany's Duerr leads after Run 1
Lena Duerr's opening time of 52.17 held up through all 88 skiers, earning the German the chance to ski last in Run 2. Switzerland's Michelle Gisin is just .03 off the pace in second, followed by giant slalom gold medalist Sara Hector in third by .12.
9:48 p.m. ET – After DNF, Shiffrin finally skis down
After missing a gate and eliminating herself from the competition, Mikaela Shiffrin took 25 minutes before making her way down the "Ice River" course. It's her second DNF in as many events at these Winter Olympics.
9:21 p.m. ET – Shiffrin heads to gate
After five skiers, Lena Duerr, the first skier down, continues to lead with a time of 52.17. Shiffrin skies seventh.
9:18 p.m. ET – Vlhova struggles in first run
After not factoring into the giant slalom medal picture, slalom World Cup champion Petra Vlhova finished her first run .72 behind Germany's Lena Duerr, who was first down. The deficit might be too great to recover even with a stellar Run 2.
8:50 p.m. ET – Ice River conditions 'perfect'
It's a fine day for slalom racing in Yanqing, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard, with the women's slalom Run 1 just 25 minutes away.
6:30 p.m. ET – Run 1 start List released
FULL START LIST – WOMEN'S SLALOM RUN 1
Bib # | Athlete |
---|---|
2 | Petra Vlhova (SVK) |
4 | Michelle Gisin (SUI) |
7 | Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) |
12 | Sara Hector (SWE) |
13 | Paula Moltzan (USA) |
31 | Federica Brignone (ITA) |
40 | Katie Hensien (USA) |
44 | AJ Hurt (USA) |