US star Mikaela Shiffrin will now compete in the team combination at the Alpine Ski World Cup-but not with Lindsey Vonn, but with the new departure world champion Breezy Johnson.
With the newly introduced team combination, the US Dream team Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn will not appear. Shiffrin, who had actually canceled the start of the team combination, is now competing with Breezy Johnson, who was surprisingly downhill master.
Johnson asked her if they did not want to compete together for the World Cup premiere of the team combination. In the meantime, the US coaches have already informed the duo about the joint start. This closes a circle, said Shiffrin. Since she was eleven years old, she and Johnson races had competed together. They have been friends and sometimes also room colleagues over the years
Vonn: “Wasn’t my decision”
Vonn had said before the World Cup that she would like to start with Shiffrin in the two-team format-consisting of a descent and slalom-and did not seem too enthusiastic about the decisions of the US coaches. Together with record World Cup winner Shiffrin, Vonn’s medal opportunities would have been significantly larger at her comeback World Cup. At X, the 40-year-old commented with a smug undertone: “I was always a team player and I support my team under all circumstances. I am not surprised by the decisions, but at least it is now clear that it wasn’t my decision. ” Now she forms a duo with AJ Hurt in the team combination.
Shiffrin does without giant slalom
Shiffrin will start at the team combination, but not with a giant slalom. After her injury, she doesn’t feel ready for the giant slalom, explained Shiffrin. At her home race in Killington at the end of November, she fell and had suffered a stab wound in the abdomen area that had to be operated on. Just a week and a half ago, Shiffrin had returned to the World Cup at the night slalom in the French Course.