UMichaela Shiffrin, ofike kuma-Olympics enethemba elikhulu, uzihlolisise kakhulu ngemuva kokwehluleka ukuwina indondo nokungaqedi imidlalo yakhe emithathu kwemihlanu ayidlalile emidlalweni yaseBeijing ngonyaka odlule.
“Ungabekezelela iqiniso lokuthi ngezinye izikhathi izinto azihambi ngendlela engiyifunayo ngempela,” kusho umshwibi waseMelika. “Ngisho noma ngisebenza kanzima, ngisebenza kanzima kakhulu futhi ngicabanga ukuthi ngenza into efanele, ngezinye izikhathi ayisebenzi futhi yileyo ndlela okuyiyo. Yileyo impilo. Ngezinye izikhathi uyahluleka, ngezinye izikhathi uyaphumelela. . Ngizizwa ngikhululekile kakhulu kuzo zombili izimo futhi mhlawumbe angicindezeleki kakhulu.”
Le ndlela yokuqeda ukucindezeleka isebenze kahle kuShiffrin, osizini yakhe yeNdebe Yomhlaba iphula amarekhodi.
Kodwa ukufuna amarekhodi alolu hlobo – uShiffrin udlule uLindsey Vonn ngokunqoba okuningi kakhulu kwiNdebe yoMhlaba yabesifazane emlandweni futhi udinga ukwengezwa okukodwa kuphela ukuze kufane nenani lika-Ingemar Stenmark elingu-86 – manje selimisiwe njengoba uShiffrin ephendukela komunye.
I-Alpine Skiing World Championships izoqala ngoMsombuluko eCourchevel naseMéribel, eFrance, kanti uShiffrin uzophinde abe ngumncintisani wemiklomelo kuyo yonke imiqhudelwano emine angancintisana kuyo.
Nakuba kungase kungatholi ukunakwa okungako, ikakhulukazi e-United States, amazwe emhlabeni wonke alandela ifomethi efanayo yohlelo lwe-Olympic lokushushuluza eqhweni.
“Empeleni, cha, akunjalo ngempela,” kusho uShiffrin. “Uma ngifunde okuthile ngonyaka odlule, ukuthi lezi zenzakalo ezinkulu zingaba zimangalisa, zingaba zimbi, futhi usazosinda. Ngakho anginandaba.”
Ngaphezu kwalokho, uShiffrin, oneminyaka engu-27, uthe ngolunye usuku lwakamuva: “Ngikhululekile kakhulu ngengcindezi futhi ngizivumelanisa nengcindezi yomdlalo. Ngaleyo ndlela ngingayijabulela ngempela inqubo.”
Nakuba ukunqoba kweNdebe yoMhlaba kungabalwa noShiffrin kwiNdebe yoMhlaba iyonke, kunezela irekhodi lakhe lomsebenzi womhlaba elihlaba umxhwele ngendlela efanayo.
Sekukonke, uShiffrin usewine igolide eziyisithupha kanye nezindondo ezingu-11 emijahweni engu-13 emjahweni wesibili ngobukhulu wokuskiya kusukela kuma-Olympic. Isikhathi sokugcina agcina ngaso engenalo indondo emiqhudelwaneni yomhlaba kwakuseminyakeni eyisishiyagalombili edlule lapho esemusha.
Muva nje uthe “uqinisekile” ukuthi ngeke agijime ehla entabeni. Futhi cishe ngeke enze nemicimbi engaphandle ngoba unomhlane onzima.
Ukuhlanganiswa ayekunqobe ku-World Championship edlule eCortina d'Ampezzo, e-Italy eminyakeni emibili edlule, kuzoqala ngoMsombuluko. Lona umjaho ohlanganisa i-super-G ne-slalom.
Umqhudelwano Womhlaba uzobanjelwa ezindaweni ezimbili ezahlukene, eziqhelelene ngemizuzu eyi-15, kodwa zixhunywe ngama-lift kanye ne-ski slopes.
Umjaho wabesifazane uzobanjelwa eMéribel eRoque de Fer, eyenzelwe iMidlalo ka-1992 e-Albertville, kanti owabesilisa uzobanjelwa e-l'Eclipse circuit entsha eCourchevel, eyaqala ukubonakala ngesikhathi somdlalo wamanqamu weNdebe Yomhlaba ngesizini edlule.
UShiffrin udlala kahle kakhulu ku-slalom kanye ne-giant slalom, kanti isoka lakhe laseNorway u-Alexander Aamodt Kilde unguchwepheshe ekushayeni phansi kanye ne-super-G.
Owayengumpetha weNdebe Yomhlaba, owine indondo yesiliva kuma-Olimpiki aseBeijing (ngokuphelele) kanye nowine indondo yethusi (super G), uKielder usafuna indondo yakhe yokuqala kuma-World Championships, njengoba ephuthelwe umncintiswano ka-2021 ngenxa yokulimala.
Ngemva kokuba amaqembu abesilisa nabesifazane ase-US ewine indondo eyodwa kuphela eBeijing, iqembu linethemba lokuthola izindondo ezengeziwe kulo mqhudelwano, hhayi uShiffrin kuphela.
URyan Cochran-Seagle, owawina isiliva le-super-G lama-Olympic ngonyaka odlule, uyaqhubeka nokuba yingozi ezindondweni emikhakheni eminingana. Ngaphezu kwalokho, uTravis Ganong uqede endaweni yesithathu emjahweni owesabekayo owehlayo eKitzbühel ngesizini yakhe yokuvalelisa.
Kwabesifazane, uPaula Molzan uqede endaweni yesibili ngemuva kukaShiffrin ngoDisemba, okokuqala kusukela ngo-1971 lapho i-US inqoba ngo 1-2 ku-Women's World Cup Slalom. UMolzan manje usefanelekele imiqhudelwano eyisikhombisa ephezulu ye-slalom yabesifazane. Ngaphezu kwalokho, uBreezy Johnson noNina O'Brien bayaqhubeka nokululama ekulimaleni.
“Abantu bahlala bekhuluma ngokuthi ufuna ukuwina izindondo ezingaki? Iyini inhloso? Iyini inombolo yakho yocingo? Ngicabanga ukuthi kubalulekile ngathi ukuskiya ngangokunokwenzeka,” kusho uMqondisi we-US Ski Resort uPatrick Riml.) uthe uphinde waqashwa yiqembu ngemuva kokusebenza okudumazayo eBeijing.
“Ngigxile enkambisweni – phuma, ujike, bese ngicabanga ukuthi sinethuba lokuwina izindondo,” kusho uRiml. “Ngijabule ngokuthi sikuphi nokuthi sizoqhubekela kanjani phambili.”
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Feb-01-2023
