Here's a scary thought for her competition: Mikaela Shiffrin is still getting comfortable with the intensity and the speed of the downhill.
That's why podium finishes are still a little surprising even to her.
The American three-time overall World Cup champion finished runner-up to Nicole Schmidhofer of Austria in a downhill race Saturday. Schmidhofer cruised through the course in 1 minute, 49.92 seconds to edge Shiffrin by 0.13 seconds. Francesca Marsaglia of Italy wound up third.
Austria's Nicole Schmidhofer celebrates her win in the women's World Cup downhill ski race, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 in Lake Louise, Alberta. (Jeff McIntoshThe Canadian Press via AP)
Schmidhofer has four career World Cup wins, with three of them arriving at Lake Louise.
Known as a tech specialist, Shiffrin is steadily getting up to speed in the speed events. This was Shiffrin's fourth career World Cup podium finish in the downhill, which includes a Lake Louise win in 2017.
So, does Shiffrin anticipate this kind of downhill success?
Austria's Nicole Schmidhofer celebrates her win in the women's World Cup downhill ski race, Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 in Lake Louise, Alberta. (Jeff McIntoshThe Canadian Press via AP)
"No, no, no," the 24-year-old from Colorado said. “It's certainly not normal (for a downhill podium). Even racing downhill doesn't feel normal. But I feel every year like I have more experience and get more comfortable.”
Shiffrin currently sits at 62 World Cup wins, which ties her with Austrian great Annemarie Moser-Proell for second-most on the women's side. Lindsey Vonn had 82 wins before her retirement.
“I'm certainly more comfortable with the long skis,” Shiffrin said of downhill racing. "Right now, it's enjoying it, because speed is a little bit extra for me. My goal is to be able to succeed in speed as well. It's making the transition and trying to have fun with it."
Czech Republic skier and snowboarder Ester Ledecka finished fourth Saturday. She was the surprise winner of Friday's season-opening downhill, which was delayed and shortened by heavy snowfall on the mountain. The race Saturday was restored to its full length.
Next up, a super-G on Sunday.
“It's always been a little bit tricky for me from downhill skis to super-G skis and to change the timing a little bit,” Shiffrin said. "I'm going to have fun."
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