BEAVER CREEK — The throng in the Red Tail finish arena was loud and proud when hometown favorite Mikaela Shiffrin successfully defended her world championships title in slalom Saturday, but there was very little obvious emotion from Shiffrin.
What was up with that?
“I put a ton of energy out there, especially that last third of the course,” Shiffrin said. “I put everything I had into making sure every turn was spot on. I came away with the win, but I had no energy in the finish.”
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That wasn’t the only explanation, though. Shiffrin said she finds those situations “awkward.” She kind of admired the way Ted Ligety celebrated his giant slalom victory the day before, but hasn’t figured out her own signature celebration.
“I feel like the best racers in history had the most epic finish celebrations,” Shiffrin said. “Ted’s celebration (Friday), where he chucked his skis. … Lindsey (Vonn) falls on the ground. (Tina) Maze puts her finger in the air. I always watch these celebrations.
“I go over it in my mind before the race, thinking, ‘How cool would it be if I won this and then I did something so epic that everybody just starts crying?’ Then I get to the finish and I’m like, ‘Hi. That was really fun. I’m so glad I’m here and I won.’ It’s just a weird thing, and I’m kind of a dork, so I don’t really want to show that side of myself.
“I’m also not that good at showing my emotions. I’ll work on that.”
