ALPINE SKIING: Shiffrin shifts focus from slalom in ‘exploration’ season

Three-times Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin intends to race less slalom next season, and concentrate more on giant slalom and super-G, with the American describing the new campaign as "an exploration".

Shiffrin won her second Olympic slalom gold medal at Milano Cortina this year and has dominated the discipline at World Cup level, winning the slalom crystal globe on nine occasions.

The 31-year-old holds the record for most World Cup race wins, with 73 of her 110 victories coming in slalom.

Shiffrin says that curiosity has been the driving force behind her motivation down through the years.

"Right now, I feel that curiosity with giant slalom and super-G. This season is an exploration." Shiffrin said on social media on Tuesday.

"I'm planning to race less slalom this season. Not necessarily no slalom."

Shiffrin, who won nine of the 10 slalom races last season, will skip the first two slalom events in the new season.

"Right now, the plan is Killington as my first slalom and potentially a few others throughout the season," Shiffrin said.

"I'll have the chance to recover, train differently, take care of my body differently, and build more intentional GS and super-G blocks."

INTENT TO CHANGE

In February, Shiffrin signalled her intent to make a change when she spoke to Reuters following her Olympic success.

"I feel that there's some kind of transition in my career coming closer," Shiffrin said.

"But I don't know what that looks like and I don't know how to say it."

After winning a record-equalling sixth World Cup overall crystal globe last season, the transition is also about putting off the day when she hangs up her skis.

"Ironically, the more predictable choice might be to race only slalom. From a purely results-oriented perspective, maybe that's the obvious move," Shiffrin said.

"But staying only where I've been most successful, rather than taking a risk and following my curiosity into something less known, feels like a faster path toward retirement."

Shiffrin has won the giant slalom globe twice, and her only super-G success came in 2019, in her best ever season when she also won the slalom, giant slalom overall titles.

The season begins with a giant slalom on October 24 in Solden, Austria.

-Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed Osmond/Reuters