WATCH: Mikaela Shiffrin Makes a Debut in One of the Most Dangerous Events Despite Horrifying Setbacks at Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Mikaela Shiffrin participated in her first downhill event on February 15th. Notably, her participation in the downhill ski competition was somewhat of a last-minute decision taken by her team.

Remarkably, Shiffrin did quite well in the training session of the downhill ski. Hence, she decided to make her debut at this event.

In the finals on Tuesday, Shiffrin did really good considering her previous performances at the Beijing Winter Olympics. Without slipping or losing control, she was successful in completing the downhill ski, considered one of the most dangerous events at the Games.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s last attempts at gold

The downhill ski was delayed by 30 minutes due to bad weather conditions. Hence, it was feared that this would affect Shiffrin’s performance.

However, Shiffrin, who went in 12th, did well for herself. She started off quite swiftly and looked at ease. The 26-year-olds finishing rank was 18th. However, there were several other skiers yet to perform after her.

During her training events, Mikaela gave the second-fastest training run for a U.S. skier, and the 17th fastest overall. This boosted her confidence enough to participate in the downhill ski finals. The downhill is dreaded as the most dangerous of all ski events, because of the alignment in the slope and the frequency of crashes.

But aiming for gold, Mikaela Shiffrin took this risk. Notably, she took part in this event for the first time.

Early in the Winter Games, Mikaela failed to do well in both her dominant competitions; the Giant slalom and the Slalom. Perhaps that is why it was all the more important that she perform in this event, even though it is not her area of expertise.

Why is the downhill ski so dangerous?

The downhill ski falls among the most dangerous sporting events in the snow. The ski race involves high speed, because of which it becomes difficult for the athletes to stay in control.

It also involves several high-speed jumps, which hold a high risk of crashes and injuries. Moreover, there are multiple sharp turns that don’t allow the skier to have any vision of where they are headed.

All of this makes the downhill ski one of the most dangerous disciplines in the world. That being said, Shiffrin’s performance was quite commendable. More so, because this was her debut downhill ski race and she did herself proud.

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