Shiffrin To Return This Weekend In Sweden.
Sources have confirmed that Mikaela Shiffrin’s return from her downhill crash is still scheduled for this weekend in Sweden. However, it is uncertain whether she will participate in both World Cup races at the resort in Are.
According to a statement from Shiffrin’s team on Monday, “Mikaela is improving in slalom and feels that the slalom race is still realistic, but the GS [giant slalom] is in question. We will share more in the coming days.”
The upcoming weekend features a giant slalom on Saturday followed by a slalom on Sunday. Shiffrin, who holds the record for 95 World Cup wins, has been sidelined since she sustained a knee injury during a downhill crash in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, in January. Additionally, she was recovering from a bone bruise earlier in the season.
During her absence, Shiffrin has slipped to third place in the overall standings with 1,209 points, trailing behind Lara Gut-Behrami (1,594) and Federica Brignone (1,268).
In the giant slalom standings, Shiffrin is no longer in contention for the small crystal globe, as she currently ranks fourth, 256 points behind Gut-Behrami, the leader in those standings. With two GS events remaining this season, victories are valued at 100 points each.
Shiffrin maintains her lead in the slalom standings with 630 points, ahead of Petra Vlhova (505) and Lena Duerr (442). Given that Vlhova is out for the season after suffering ligament tears in her right knee in January, Duerr is the only skier still capable of potentially surpassing Shiffrin.
Shiffrin only requires 12 points to secure the slalom globe, making a 19th place finish sufficient. Alternatively, Duerr not winning would also secure the title for Shiffrin.
Following the Are event, there are only two more weekends of racing left this season: one featuring tech races and another featuring speed races at the finals in Saalbach, Austria.