Calling the victory bittersweet, Mikaela Shiffrin, the two-time Olympic champion, won a World Cup giant slalom on Monday in Courchevel, France, her first time atop an Alpine podium since the accidental death of her father, Jeff, 10 months ago. “It was a pretty incredible day, obviously,” said Shiffrin, who was in tears during interviews at the bottom of the racecourse. I mean, it’s a bit bittersweet.”Shiffrin’s last World Cup victory was on Jan. 26 in a super-G in Bulgaria, a race attended by her father, who flew home to Colorado shortly thereafter. He died on Feb. 2, and Shiffrin, then the three-time defending World Cup overall champion, did not compete again for the rest of the season. Regardless of the results, Shiffrin admitted she was melancholy after each event because a favorite part of her post race ritual had been to discuss the day and her performance with her father.

Source: New York Times December 14, 2020 21:33 UTC