Mikaela Shiffrin, the leader in the Alpine Ski World Cup, announced that she will return to Croatia on Tuesday, after missing two races in Austria last week due to COVID-19.
“See you tomorrow, Zagreb!”, wrote the 26-year-old skier on Twitter. She missed a giant slalom and a slalom in Lienz last week but remained in the lead of the overall World Cup standings, 93 points ahead of Sofia Goggia. The Italian speed specialist, who has not competed in slalom for five years, is absent in Croatia.
Shiffrin, who has won the event four times since 2013, will wear bib No 7. The first run starts at 12.30 pm local time; the second run at 4.05 pm, and this course will be set by Shiffrin’s coach, Mike Day.
Mikaela Shiffrin had a negative test on Monday afternoon before the American’s name appeared on the official start list for the race released by the International Ski Federation.
Petra Vlhova, who is Shiffrin’s main rival in slalom, won the race in Austria last week and increased her lead over the American in the discipline standings to 120 points after four of nine races.
Vlhova, who will open the slalom on Tuesday, has won the floodlit race in Zagreb for the past two years.
No spectators will be allowed at the race on the outskirts of the Croatian capital, which usually is among the best-visited races on the women’s calendar.
Mikaela Shiffrin is also a contender for gold at the Beijing Winter Olympics in February after winning the giant slalom in Pyeongchang 2018 and the slalom in Sochi in 2014. She has also won 72 World Cups in her career and won four previous slaloms in Zagreb.
