Levi, Finland
US ski star Mikaela Shiffrin insisted she had “low expectations’ as she prepares to return to action on the weekend almost 10 months after her last race in a season brought to an abrupt halt by Covid-19.
“I don’t really have expectations, I keep expectations very low,” Shiffrin told reporters ahead of Saturday’s World Cup slalom in the Finnish resort of Levi.
“Given everything that has happened to all of us athletes and me personally, I can’t have expectations.
“I want to ski well which includes skiing fast, and I know that I can.”
Shiffrin, after three consecutive overall World Cup titles, gave up on her quest for a fourth last season after the sudden death of her father, handing Italian Federica Brignone a free pass for the women’s big crystal globe.
The 25-year-old, with 66 World Cup victories to her name, then skipped this season’s opener in Soelden with a sore back, something she said was part and parcel of alpine ski racing.
“It may be a bit of a struggle for the rest of my career,” she admitted.—AP
