The Japan Times - Shiffrin 'wins silver' to wrap up 'spectacular' world champs

Shiffrin had been odds-on favourite to add a fifth world slalom title to her tally, but a fault-ridden second run saw her come second best to Canada's surprise winner Laurence St-Germain. Germany's Lena Duerr took bronze.

Her silver took Shiffrin to a total of 14 world championship medals, just one behind all-time leader Christl Cranz of Germany, who competed between 1934-39, when world champs were held every year and ski racing was yet to evolve to what it is nowadays.

Apart from the slalom silver, Shiffrin also claimed giant slalom gold and super-G in the French Alps, taking her startling world champs record to seven golds, four silvers and three bronze medals from just 17 starts.

"In general the headline would be losing gold, for me it's just as much winning silver," Shiffrin said.

"It's been spectacular, it's been a complete world championships, every emotion I can feel, and I'm really proud when I look back at the last two weeks."

Ski racing, she added, was a sport of high risk for ultimate gain, citing Switzerland's Wendy Holdener, the two-time Olympic slalom medallist who skied out with the finish line -- and a podium spot -- in sight.

"Sitting here with three medals... I guess we all know that I've experienced the situation where I have no medals," said Shiffrin, who failed to win a single medal at last year's Beijing Olympics.

"If you look at Wendy today, putting her whole heart on the slope and going for gold and then it's such a disappointing moment in a blink of an eye, it's all gone. I know what that feels like, so I'm very appreciative to be on the silver side of things."

- 'Amazing' St-Germain -

Shiffrin put her disappointing second leg down to fatigue and related lack of agility after a packed programme over two weeks.

"Still I was skiing for gold even though it's probably hard for people to believe because I didn't get it," she said.

"It didn't go perfect the whole time but that was also because Laurence had an amazing performance. Maybe that was one of the differences: she was spectacular and I was not good enough in the moment."

Shiffrin added: "It's still been a spectacular world championships, a spectacular season and it's not over so I'm looking forward to the coming races."

Shiffrin's focus will soon be back on the World Cup circuit where she is hunting down Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark's overall record of 86 victories.

The American is one short, having already overhauled former teammate Lindsey Vonn's female record of 82 this season, and will make her return to World Cup action in the Norwegian resort of Kvitfjell between March 1-5.

St-Germain delivered the performance of her career for gold, having never even made a World Cup podium before.

"I knew I was skiing fast in training and I knew if I stuck to my plan then I could do good things. But winning was not expected at all, like ever," the Quebec native said.

St-Germain becomes Canada’s first female slalom world champion since Anne Heggtveit took gold in 1960 in Squaw Valley, when the Olympic Games doubled up as the world championships.

The last Canadian female gold medallist on the world stage was Melanie Turgeon, who won the downhill in St Moritz in 2003.

St-Germain explained that she trained on the same hill as childhood hero Turgeon, who in turn signed her helmet every season.

"It means a lot to be the one after her. I'm just over the moon," she said. "I just wanted to really attack."

St-Germain's victory is the latest boon for Team Canada, with James Crawford having won the men’s super-G, Cameron Alexander picking up a bronze in the downhill and the mixed team parallel quartet also bagging a bronze in what has been a very successful worlds.

"I'm trying to meet the challenge and trying to do as well as my teammates!" she said.

H.Nakamura--JT