BEIJING (AP) 鈥� There was simply no way to predict this. Not for anyone, including Mikaela Shiffrin herself.
That the American skier would go 0 for 5 in individual races at the Beijing Olympics, leaving without a medal from any and with a best showing of ninth place, was hard enough to imagine beforehand.
That she would not even manage to finish three of those events 鈥� the three that are her best, including Thursday鈥檚 Alpine combined 鈥� was among the most surprising developments of the entire 2022 Games.
鈥淚鈥檓 certainly questioning a lot,鈥� Shiffrin said. 鈥淚鈥檓 really disappointed. And I鈥檓 really frustrated.鈥�
鈥� or any sport. Owner of three Olympic medals, two golds and a silver. Six world championship golds. Three overall World Cup titles.
Still, the 26-year-old from Colorado just never displayed her enviable technique and talent or big-moment gumption at the National Alpine Skiing Center in the brown, craggy mountains of Yanqing zone about 55 miles (90 kilometers) northwest of central Beijing.
鈥淭his is incredibly difficult for her as a person,鈥� U.S. head women鈥檚 Alpine coach Paul Kristofic said. 鈥淲e had big expectations coming here, and it hasn鈥檛 gone the way we hoped, of course.鈥�
Shiffrin spoke openly and at length in the months leading up to these races about 鈥� from herself, from fans, from coaches, even close friends and family. She also was frank about the two years ago.
On Thursday, she acknowledged maybe she was pushing too hard and not leaving herself enough margin for error in the tick-tock-tick-tock, left-right rhythm of a slalom, but otherwise was not sure of any common denominator for the miscues.
鈥淭he pressure鈥檚 there. It鈥檚 always there. And I don鈥檛 feel uncomfortable or even unfamiliar with it,鈥� she said, not far from where medal. 鈥淪ome days I鈥檓 a little bit more tight and it鈥檚 still possible to ski well. And some days I鈥檓 a little looser and it鈥檚 still possible to ski well.鈥�
Shiffrin鈥檚 latest subpar performance came in the second leg of the combined, which adds the times from one downhill run and one slalom run.
She was fifth-fastest in the downhill, certainly in contention for a higher finish, perhaps even a gold. What she needed to do, and could not, was stay upright for 50 seconds or so 鈥� long enough get to the bottom of the slope as a light snow descended.
Trouble came after about 10 gates and 10 seconds. She lost her balance, could not regain it, and ended up landing on her hip.
Shiffrin sat for a few moments in the snow. When she rose, she shook her head, then looked up at the hill, as though trying to figure out exactly where things went wrong.
Later, 鈥� warned of a rut on the slope that might have been what caused Thursday鈥檚 issue.
That was among several things she mentioned in discussing factors that could have contributed to what went wrong along the way over the past 1 1/2 weeks: the logistical challenges of an Olympics amid a pandemic; a late-December bout of COVID-19 that kept her off her skis for 10 days; icy, manufactured snow that several racers found different from what they鈥檙e used to in Europe.
Didn鈥檛 sound like someone offering excuses. Sounded like someone searching for explanations, right along with everybody else.
Afterward, Shiffrin said she could imagine people back home thinking before the slalom portion of the combined: 鈥淭his could just be the medal that salvages everything, after all.鈥�
But instead, she said, 鈥淚 just feel like a joke.鈥�
On Thursday evening, 鈥� one with critical words that seemed to come from social media, the other with her response to 鈥渢he people who have so much apparent hate.鈥�
In truth, her series of miscues were as hard for her to believe as for anyone else.
鈥淏eyond walking away from the Games with no medals 鈥� no individual medals 鈥� the most disappointing thing is I had multiple opportunities to ski slalom on this track," Shiffrin said, "and I, well, you know, failed in all of them.鈥�
It was quite similar to what happened : the two-leg giant slalom on Feb. 7, and the two-leg slalom on Feb. 9. She didn鈥檛 finish those, either, which was particularly stunning because she already won a gold in each at past Olympics and because she is lauded by other skiers, past and present, for her sound skills and unparalleled ability to complete courses.
The 鈥淒id Not Finish鈥� beside her name on the result sheet for the GS in Beijing was her first in more than four years. Her 47 career World Cup slalom victories are more than any other racer has won in any discipline.
As for Shiffrin鈥檚 other races, she was ninth in the super-G and 18th in the downhill, making her Olympic debuts in both.
Now she plans to enter the team event on Saturday, when the Alpine schedule concludes.
鈥淪he鈥檚 human; she鈥檚 just like the rest of us. She鈥檚 allowed to have 鈥楧NFs鈥� without it being this huge ordeal. It鈥檚 ski racing; something wrong can happen in a split-second. It鈥檚 just the way it goes. We have too many elements and you can鈥檛 always be 100% perfect,鈥� said U.S. teammate Bella Wright, who also wasn't able to finish the slalom part of the combined. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really unfortunate and I feel really badly for her. But I鈥檓 not worried about her. She鈥檚 just fine.鈥�
___ AP Sports Writers Andrew Dampf and Daniella Matar contributed to this report.
___
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Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
