SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria — The rivalry between Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin, two of the top female skiers in history, has resurfaced amidst the unique challenges of forming a team for the new skiing event known as the team combined. Despite past friction, its occurrence is noteworthy as Vonn returns to competitive skiing at 40 years old, nearly six years after her retirement.
The friction stems from Shiffrin’s decision to compete alongside downhill champion Breezy Johnson instead of teaming up with Vonn for what could have been a stellar pairing. Vonn expressed disappointment regarding Shiffrin’s handling of the situation, particularly since she had made her desire known to race as a duo, combining their unmatched records of success in the World Cup.
However, neither skier is able to directly choose their partner, as the U.S. coaching staff makes pairings based on performance results. Shiffrin previously announced her withdrawal from the team combined due to her struggles in training for giant slalom following a crash in Killington, Vermont, last November.
In a surprising turn on Monday, Shiffrin decided to change her plans and compete in the combined event instead, where she will race the slalom portion following Johnson’s downhill run. This shift was influenced by her ongoing recovery from the crash, as slalom is considered less dangerous than giant slalom due to lower speed.
“I’m excited for Breezy and Mikaela to team up together, and I believe they are a great pair. However, I am disappointed in the way it was handled,” Vonn commented in a statement. Vonn emphasized that while she reached out to Shiffrin about their potential race together and initially received a positive response, she learned through social media of Shiffrin’s final decision to compete without her.
Despite her disappointment, Vonn indicated that she is committed to being a team player, expressing enthusiasm about partnering with AJ Hurt, a promising young skier, for the event. Shiffrin’s representative chose not to comment on the circumstances unfolding around the dual pairings.
The team combined event itself is an innovative competition format, where one athlete competes in downhill skiing and another in slalom, with their times being combined to determine the overall results. Teams can comprise up to four pairings from each nation. Given their respective recent successes — Johnson as the downhill world champion and Shiffrin with two World Cup wins this season — they were selected for the top pairing.
Vonn and Hurt were placed as the third team, while super-G bronze medalist Lauren Macuga teamed with Paula Moltzan, and the fourth pairing consists of Jacqueline Wiles with Katie Hensien.
With a total of 99 World Cup victories for Shiffrin and 82 for Vonn, both hold records in skiing that are unparalleled, with Vonn leading in downhill victories and Shiffrin in slalom. Vonn remarked that it would be incredible to have their combined total of 181 World Cup wins competing on a single team.
Although 24-year-old Hurt has yet to claim a World Cup victory, she has been a podium finisher twice, showcasing talent and potential for this high-stakes event.
Before clarifying her stance, Vonn took to social media to display her frustration with Shiffrin not partnering with her. She initially shared a post expressing her lack of surprise toward the outcome but later deleted it, replacing it with a message affirming her commitment to teamwork, indicating her ongoing support for her fellow skiers, and included an American flag emoji at the end.
