EAGLE-VAIL \u2014 Mikaela Shiffrin is a long way from home and she hasn’t been on U.S. soil since November.<\/p>\n
It’s a small price to pay in her pursuit of 16 total wins in 24 races (including world championships) \u2014 and 20 podiums. At the world championships in Are, Sweden, Shiffrin won two gold medals \u2014 Norway and Switzerland as countries won two apiece; Austria won one.<\/p>\n
When asked on a conference call with journalists from around the country on Thursday if her mind ever wanders back home to Eagle-Vail with a few weeks remaining in the season, Shiffrin wasted no time speaking about home.<\/p>\n
“Oh my gosh \u2014\u00a0pretty much 100 percent of my thoughts are of back home. This is the point in the season that’s the final push. You can taste it. Coming home is literally like a taste that’s on the tip of your tongue and you just want to get there,” she said after answering questions about her health, schedule and if she’s still having fun (she is). “But we still have a job to do. There’s still work to do. I cannot wait to get home, but kind of have to get through this final push and then it will be as sweet as can be.”<\/p>\n
Before Shiffrin returns home to Eagle-Vail, where she usually spends a few days training at Beaver Creek (right after the season ends), she will celebrate her 24th<\/sup> birthday in the midst of the World Cup Finals in Andorra \u2014 sort of.<\/p>\n “Honestly, my birthday is like the records \u2014 I really don’t ever think about it. I really don’t ever think about my birthday to the point that I forgot my boyfriend’s birthday,” she said. “It was during Cortina and I completely forgot it was his birthday. My excuse for that was I don’t care about my own birthday, so why would I care about yours \u2014\u00a0I don’t think he really appreciated that excuse.”<\/p>\n While she doesn’t have any big celebratory plans for her birthday, she is planning on staying in Barcelona for a couple of days after the World Cup Finals, “so that will be a nice little birthday present,” she said.<\/p>\n With another birthday, though, comes another year of the taxes ski racing takes on racers, especially giant slalom.<\/p>\n “I know I’m only 23, but I definitely feel with each year my body is starting to complain to me,” she said.<\/p>\n \n “I’m really looking forward to once the season is over getting home and seeing my family and my brother,” she said. “Right now, I’m looking forward to these final races of the season.”<\/p>\nRecommended Stories For You<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/blockquote>\n
There are 10 World Cup races left in the season before Shiffrin can come home to Eagle-Vail and get some R&R<\/a> \u2014 Shiffrin is looking to race in at least four of them.<\/p>\n