It’ll be Vonn vs. Shiffrin in final women’s ski race at Olympics
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — When big football and baseball games are on the horizon, it’s natural to focus on the individual matchups within them — think Brady vs. Roethlisberger or Sale vs. Verlander.
The key figures often downplay those comparisons, saying they won’t go head-to-head on the field. Nonetheless, the presence of elite athletes both vying for a single victory can elevate a sports event considerably.
Such will be the case Thursday (Wednesday night in the United States) at the Olympics when they hold the women’s Alpine Combined at Jeongseon Alpine Center. The event features two of the best skiers in the world, Americans Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn, and while it’s Vonn vs. the mountain and the clock, and it’s Shiffrin vs. the mountain and the clock, make no mistake: This is Vonn vs. Shiffrin.
It’s the perfect finale to the women’s individual events at these Olympics. Shiffrin already has a gold medal in the giant slalom, and Vonn on Wednesday won the bronze in the downhill.
If styles make fights, then this one has it all. Shiffrin, 22, is the rising star and the defending World Cup overall champion, while Vonn, 33, is the all-time women’s World Cup leader who is closing in on the record for victories by any skier. Vonn said this would be her last Olympics, so this will be the final chance for these two to go head-to-head at an Olympics.
And the Alpine Combined is the perfect event to have two of the biggest names in skiing race. It’s a downhill run — Vonn’s specialty — in the morning, followed by a slalom run — Shiffrin’s specialty — in the afternoon. The downhill is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. in Korea, which is 9:30 Wednesday night in Boston.
Vonn will start 13th while Shiffrin goes 19th. The slalom run order will be determined by downhill results, and it is scheduled to begin at 1 a.m. EST Thursday.
Alice Merryweather, of Hingham, Mass., will be the final US starter.
The field also includes the downhill gold medalist Sofia Goggia of Italy, downhill silver medalist Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway, and slalom silver medalist Wendy Holdener of Switzerland.
