Vail’s Shiffrin responds to criticism by Vonn, Miller

A minor spat erupted between Vail’s megastars of World Cup skiing, Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, on Saturday, as the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Are, Sweden, neared the end its first week.

On Friday, The Associated Press reported that both Vonn and Bode Miller, the two-time men’s World Cup champion with 33 World Cup wins who is working the world championships for NBC’s networks, both questioned Shiffrin’s decision to skip Friday’s Alpine super-combined and Sunday’s downhill.

“She could have won everything,” Vonn said of Shiffrin to AP. “I’m a racer and I want to race in every single race that I possibly can,” Vonn added. “I respect her decision. It’s obviously her decision. But she has the potential and 100 percent the capability of getting a medal in all five disciplines. So I don’t personally understand it. … Hopefully, I’m sure, she will get two golds in GS and slalom.”

On Saturday, Shiffrin responded on Instagram.

In part, Shiffrin wrote, “My goal has never been to break records for most (World Cup) wins, points or most medals at world champs. My goal is to be a true contender every time I step into the start.”

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I have to say, I’m flattered by some recent comments by Bode and Lindsey saying that they think I would have been a contender in 5 events this World Champs. However, as the one who has been trying to race in every discipline this season, and who has won in 5 disciplines this season alone, I can tell you that not a single one of those wins was “easy”. There is no such thing as an easy win. From the outside, people see the records and stats. As I have said, those numbers dehumanize the sport and what every athlete is trying to achieve. What I see is an enormous mixture of work, training, joy, heartache, motivation, laughs, stress, sleepless nights, triumph, pain, doubt, certainty, more doubt, more work, more training, surprises, delayed flights, canceled flights, lost luggage, long drives through the night, expense, more work, adventure, and some races mixed in there. I don’t have the Slalom and GS season titles in the bag, and I don’t have the Slalom or GS World Champs medals in the bag either. The girls are competitive and it’s a fight, every single race. Everyone has their sights set on gold, so to think that I could come in and waltz away with 4 or 5 medals would be a wild miscalculation and honestly disrespectful to the talent and ability of the other athletes, and how much work they have also put into their skiing. At 23, I’m still understanding my full potential as well as my limitations. But I have definitely learned not to let hubris dictate my expectations and goals. My goal has never been to break records for most WC wins, points or most medals at World Champs. My goal is to be a true contender every time I step into the start, and to have the kind of longevity in my career that will allow me to look back when all is said and done and say that – for a vast majority of the duration of my career – I was able to compete and fight for that top step rather than being sidelined by getting burnt out or injured from pushing beyond my capacity. It is clear to me that many believe I am approaching my career in a way that nobody has before, and people don’t really understand it. But you know what?! That is completely fine by me, because I am ME, and no one else.

A post shared by Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷? (@mikaelashiffrin) on Feb 9, 2019 at 7:07am PST

Vonn responded in the Instagram comments section of Shiffrin’s post, in part, saying, “What we said was a compliment, that you are capable of winning medals in all events. No one said it’s easy, Bode and I both know that as winners in all five disciplines. So stick with your decision and go be you.”

This story will be updated.

via:: Vail Daily