Shiffrin herself, though, never quite expected much of anything beyond where she ultimately finished, fifth, in only her second full slalom race since she suffered severe trauma to her oblique muscles and a deep puncture wound that left her insides draining out of the side of her abdomen during a crash in a giant slalom in Killington, Vermont, 10 weeks ago.
Now that the slalom streak is over, Shiffrin can look back and admire how special it was – rising Croatian talent Zrinka Ljutic called it “alien” – with the realization that it didn’t end because she’s no longer capable of dominating in slalom; it ended only because she’s been slowed by the two most serious crashes of her career the last two seasons.
With the World Cup circuit – skiing’s regular season – starting back up again next weekend, Shiffrin plans to race in the two giant slaloms and a slalom in Sestriere, Italy.
“The last two years have been the biggest proof to the world about how much can go wrong – even when you think you’re doing everything right,” Shiffrin said.
While Shiffrin did pair with Breezy Johnson to win a gold in the new team combined event at these worlds, she also withdrew from defending her giant slalom title because of “PTSD-eque” fears related to her fall in Killington.
