Only a few days ago she and her boyfriend Aleksander Kilde, both injured while competing, took to social media to express worried reflections on the sense of continuing to engage in a sport that offers so much satisfaction but which can be highly dangerous, so much so that they risk compromising their future. .
The decision, at least for Mikaela Shiffrin, was clear and she returned to the track for the first time after the very bad flight in the free climb in Cortina on January 26th.
And she did it in her own way: clearly winning the penultimate slalom of the season in Aare (1.42.95).
Her palmares is increasingly monumental: 96/1 victory and 59/1 in the special which also earns her her eighth cup in this discipline.
All on the eve of his 29th birthday, next Wednesday, and therefore ahead of him - if he wants - other hyperbolic performances destined to remain engraved in the annals of sport.
"It's been a really tough season, with ups and downs. But to win here, after what happened, is really special" said Shiffrin who won her first cup race in Aare in 2012. "It's incredible - he added, very happy - that this comeback was such a success for me. This 8th special cup had now become the great goal of my season".
Behind the American finished the Croatian Zrinka Ljutic, 19 years old and on the fourth podium of her career, 2nd in 1.44.19 and the Swiss Michelle Gisin 3rd in 1.44.29.
For Italy, this slalom in Aare confirmed the strong delay in the discipline.
Best Italian was Lara Della Mea from Friuli but only 25th.
Then the thirty-year-old Martina Peterlini 26/a, who however (24/a out of 25 qualified), is the only Italian admitted to the slalom of the Finals next weekend.
Federica Brignone also wanted to try her hand at slalom but finished 27th.
Now the world cup goes to Austria, to Saalbach, for the Finals scheduled for the next two weekends.
Saturday and Sunday slalom and giant slalom for both men and women.
The following weekend it will be the turn of the fast races.
The top 25 athletes in each discipline will participate, plus those with at least 500 points in the general ranking and the fresh junior world champions.
As for the women's world cup (the men's one was won a long time ago by the Swiss Marco Odermatt) and with four races still to be played the games are mathematically still open: the Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami is in the lead and super favorite with 1654 points while Brignone follows her with 1,372 and Shiffrin is third with 1309. The Swiss then - like her compatriot Odermatt - also practically has the speed discipline cups in her pocket.
To hope for the giant slalom, Brignone would have to win the last race and Lara not score any points: possible but not very credible.
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