During her 11 years as a professional skier, Mikaela Shiffrin has built a reputation as a disciplined, meticulous skier with a knack for doing the most important parts of her job: getting across the finish line upright, and doing so faster than any of her rivals.
So when the 26-year-old Shiffrin slipped and landed onto her left side in a disqualifying fall during the women’s giant slalom on Monday — almost as soon as her run had begun — it was hard to believe that the racer who almost never falls had just fallen at the worst possible moment.
In fact, it was only the 14th time Shiffrin had failed to finish a race in 229 previous Olympic, World Cup and world championship races.
“The day was basically finished before it even started,” Shiffrin said of her start Monday.
She stood by her strategy of attacking the course from the start — “I felt that I really had the right mentality” — but acknowledged: “It’s a huge disappointment, not even counting medals. It’s a really good hill and really good conditions.”
Shiffrin has four races remaining in the Olympics, including her best event, the slalom, which is scheduled for Wednesday morning in Yanqing (Tuesday night in the United States). The event marks the latest chapter in a rivalry between Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, who have combined to win 39 of the past 42 World Cup slalom races.
Shiffrin, though, is just one of several superstar American athletes who will be competing Wednesday. And the evening builds off a series of memorable performances, including Nathan Chen’s world record short program and Eileen Wu’s gold medal win, using a trick she had never before tried.
First, the snowboarder Chloe Kim will begin her journey to defend her gold medal when qualifying is held in the women’s halfpipe.
At 13, Kim qualified for the Sochi Olympics but was too young to compete for the U.S. At 17, she won gold at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang and became a social media sensation, a spotlight she soon sought to avoid. Now 21, Kim is less considered a prodigy but certainly remains a favorite.
Later, Shaun White, one of the most recognizable snowboarders of all time, headlines the men’s snowboarding halfpipe field as qualifying begins.
White, 35, is seeking to secure his fourth Olympic gold medal in the event. But in his fifth Games, he finds himself in an unusual position: underdog. Among the legions of young athletes around the world whom he helped inspire, a few have surpassed him in the his own game.
This will be his last chance to prove he still has it: White said last week that he will retire from competition after the Olympics.
