Mikaela Shiffrin wins giant slalom world championship gold medal a day after parting ways with longtime coach

A day after parting ways with her longtime coach, skier Mikaela Shiffrin won gold in the women’s giant slalom at the 2023 World Championships in Méribel, Courchevel. This marked her seventh World Championship title, as well as her 13th overall medal in 16 career World Championship races.

Shiffrin made a mistake towards the end of the race but was able to hold on and beat Italian skier Federica Brignone by 0.12 seconds. Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinkel took bronze, finishing 0.22 seconds back.

“There was definitely a high level of stress these days,” Shiffrin said. Associated Press. “Today it was very, very difficult to keep the concentration and intensity at the right level.”

Shiffrin worked with coach Mike Day for seven years. She told him that she planned to take a new direction at the conclusion of the season, but Day decided to leave immediately. Shiffrin thanked him for their time together and said olympic talk that she was not going to make an official announcement during the World Championships, “but it just so happened that it happened.”

The 27-year-old is now one of the most successful skiers in the modern history of the Alpine Ski World Championships. According to the data, she shared gold medals with Austrian Toni Seiler (1950s), Frenchwoman Mariel Goitschel (1960s) and Sweden Anja Pyarson (2000s). NBC Sports.

The German Krystle Kranz, who competed in the 1930s and was the first Olympic champion in alpine skiing, technically has the most equipment as she won 15 medals, 12 golds, when the world championships were held annually, there were three events and fewer skiers. The worlds are different now as they are six separate bi-annual events.

“I don’t know if I can really appreciate any medal, but today was special,” Shiffrin told NBC Sports. “I will remember this moment forever.”

Shiffrin has one event left in Méribel, Courchevel as she is set to compete in slalom on Saturday. This year the World Championship started on February 6th and will end on February 19th.