Shiffrin embracing more pressure after record-setting season

World Cup season set to open with women’s giant slalom race

DENVER, Oct 22, (AP): The sky’s the limit for Mikaela Shiffrin after winning a record 17 World Cup races last season.

And not just because she reached lofty heights as a passenger in an F-16 jet with the Air Force’s Thunderbirds this offseason, either.

The 24-year-old ski racer from Colorado isn’t saying she can replicate that kind of success on the slopes again. She’s not saying she can’t, either. Shiffrin is thinking big as she heads into a season where she will be counted on to carry her sport even more with the retirements of stars like Lindsey Vonn, Marcel Hirscher and Aksel Lund Svindal.

Although, Shiffrin doesn’t view it as pressure so much as an opportunity – for her and others.

“We really have a lot of great athletes, great personalities,” Shiffrin said as the World Cup season gets set to open Saturday with the women’s giant slalom race in Soelden, Austria. “Some of the other women, some of the other men, they are going to be excited that they can be stars.”

Make no mistake: The three-time became the first athlete in FIS World Cup history to win in all six disciplines.

n Earned her fourth-straight slalom title at the world championships in Are, Sweden.

n Finished with 17 World Cup wins to eclipse the mark for most in a season (14) that was held by Vreni Schneider.

For the 2019-20 season, she said she’s setting realistic goals because, “who in their right mind can expect to keep repeating that forever?” Shiffrin cracked of her recent success.

“I may be not always in my right mind so if anyone would expect that it would be me,” she added. “I talked a lot last year about not really paying attention to expectations and sort of knowing there’s a difference between expectations versus standards and trying to keep my standards of my own skiing high and not having expectations. For whatever reason, that mindset clicked for me last year.” So, she will keep that tactic. “How do I out-do myself?” Shiffrin said. “Every year is different. You don’t know who worked harder and got better. You have to roll with it and see what’s possible. It’s very unpredictable. That can be nerve-wracking.”

As for how long she plans to compete, well, it’s based on various factors such as health and enjoyment.

“My motivation doesn’t come from breaking records,” said Shiffrin, whose mom/coach Eileen plans to accompany her as often as she can (Eileen’s also helping care for Shiffrin’s grandmother). “I still find so much joy from skiing, and feeling my turns getting better and improving. As long as that’s there, I’m ready to keep going.

“I don’t really have a timeline. I don’t know if I’m going to make it until I’m 30 or if I’m going to retire before that or after that. I probably don’t see myself going well beyond 30. But at same time, if I’m at that point and I’m still having an absolute blast and still reaching my own ... standards of skiing, I’ll keep going.”

It was an eventful offseason for Shiffrin, who found time between training sessions to get settled into her new house, be a presenter with NBA rookie Zion Williamson at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Awards and experience g-forces as a passenger on board an F-16.

“That was insane,” Shiffrin said of her aircraft ride-along. “That’s probably going to top my list of wildest things I’ve done – or will do.”

In this Feb 22, 2018 file photo, silver medalist in the women’s combined Mikaela Shiffrin, of the United States, celebrates during the medals ceremony

at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. (AP)

Colorado Avalanche’s Gabriel Landeskog (92), of Sweden, controls the puck in front of St Louis Blues’ Ivan Barbashev (49), of Russia, during the first

period of an NHL hockey game on Oct 21 in St Louis. (AP)

ST LOUIS, Oct 22, (AP): Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and two assists to help the St Louis Blues beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-1, snapping a four-game losing streak.

Brayden Schenn and David Perron also scored for the defending Stanley Cup champions, who came in with their longest skid since March 30-April 4, 2018. Jordan Binnington finished with 17 saves as the Blues improved to 8-1-0 in the last nine home games against Colorado.

Nathan MacKinnon scored for Colorado, which was the only team in the NHL without a regulation loss and fell to 7-1-1. Philipp Grubauer stopped 22 shots.

MacKinnon has scored at least one point in each of Colorado’s first nine games, becoming the first player in Avalanche history to do it in consecutive seasons. He tied the mark to start one season, set previously by John-Michael Liles in 2010-11, and matched by MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen last season. He also became the fifth player in NHL history with a season-opening point streak of at least nine games in consecutive seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky (30 games in 1982-83; 51 in 1983-84; 16 in 1984-85 and nine in 1985-86), Charlie Simmer (nine in 1979-80 and 13 in 1980-81), Winners celebrate on the podium during the 6th Gulf Cooperation Council

(GCC) Women’s Games in Kuwait City.