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Aspen teen makes top 10 at World Cup race
ASPEN — The look said it all.
Moments after she dashed across the finish line in the first run of Saturday's Aspen Winternational giant slalom, cameras captured Vail teenager Mikaela Shiffrin chuckling and shrugging her shoulders as she stood in the finish area.
As the roars from a packed grandstand intensified, the precocious skier pumped her fist.
“Just disbelief,” Shiffrin said of the effort, which at the time landed her in 18th place and, more important, assured her of a second run for just the second time in seven World Cup starts in the discipline.
“This is a bigger confidence boost than (Nov. 10's third-place finish in slalom in Levi, Finland) was. In slalom, I knew I've gotten a podium in Lienz (Austria) and several more top 10s. I knew I was fast, but in GS, there was so much uncertainty. This is huge for my confidence. Maybe I'm not just a one-trick pony. Maybe I can do it in two events — or maybe four someday. Even having just one good run is opening up my mind for future possibilities.”
Imagine what she must be thinking now.
