A tale of two Winter Olympics experiences. In one, Mikaela Shiffrin cemented her status as the greatest women’s slalom skier of all time, and in the other, Anabelle Zurbay laid down some more of her exciting promise.
Back on the revered slopes of Olympia delle Tofane above Cortina, Wednesday’s traditional Alpine skiing curtain-closer saw Zurbey complete her second slalom event. After making her Winter Olympics debut aged 17, the youngest member of Team Ireland matched her finish in Sunday’s giant slalom by again placing 48th among the mammoth field of 95 starters.
Only 53 managed to finish both runs, and Zurbay displayed considerable skill to recover from a misjudged gate late into her second descent. It unquestionably cost her time, yet hardly took from the satisfaction of the Colorado-based skier, whose grandmother hails from Co Westmeath.
There was satisfaction and relief of a different sort for Shiffrin, the 30-year-old US skier who won her first medal of these Games, brilliantly wrapped up in gold. Shiffrin finished her second run a full 1.5 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Camille Rast in second, reclaiming the slalom gold medal she first won in Sochi in 2014 aged 18 when she became the youngest slalom gold medallist in Winter Olympics history.
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Heading out 64th of the 95 starters on her first run, Zurbay again displayed composure, finishing her run in 56.91 for 57th. She then improved nine places on her second run, despite the near spill, for a combined time of 1:58.50.
“It feels really good,” said Zurbay. “That last run definitely wasn’t what I was hoping for, but I’m honestly really happy just to make it down to the finish line and to say that I finished all my runs, which is difficult in the slalom for sure.
“I started off strong on the second run, then I don’t know what happened, I caught my ski and almost went spinning, but just managed to keep it together and control it. I knew if I made it to the finish, that was my ultimate goal. I didn’t think I was going to make it, but there was no point in giving up.”
Until a few weeks ago, Zurbay had never skied anywhere in Europe. “It’s been pretty overwhelming,” she added, “but a really great experience, and hopefully I can try even harder for the next one. It’s all been insanely amazing, just being one of the skiers out on the hill, and not watching from the stands.”
Shiffrin missed out in all her podium attempts four years ago in Beijing, but made no mistake in her final event this time around with a combined time of 1.39.10. Having taken fourth in the women’s team combined event last week, she finished well down in 11th in the giant slalom.
The seventh to go, Shiffrin’s first run of 47.13 seconds left her 0.82 ahead of Germany’s Lena Duerr, before the German slipped out in her second run. With that, Anna Swenn Larsson claimed a surprise bronze for Sweden, with Rast winning silver.
Shiffrin was already the most decorated Alpine skier of all time, with 108 World Cup victories to her name. She’s endured her setbacks too, including serious injury and the sudden death of her father in 2020.
At 17, Zurbay can still dream of plenty Winter Olympics to come. Born in Minnesota, she relocated to Vail, Colorado with her family aged 10, a move solely designed to improve her skiing prospects.
She then pursued her Irish Olympic eligibility thanks to her grandmother, Rosaleen McCarthy Miskella, who grew up in Rosemount, just outside Moate, Co Westmeath and now resides in Wisconsin. Family members were still watching from Westmeath, where her mother’s cousin own The Pantry bakery in Moate.
The wait is almost over Ben Lynch, the fourth member of Team Ireland, as he goes in Thursday’s two qualifying runs of the freestyle skiing half-pipe, which takes place in Livigno. At 23, Lynch will also be making his Winter Olympics debut.
