On its 4-Year Cue, Skiing Re-enters the Spotlight Ahead of Olympics

By BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN from NYT Sports A series of races known as Birds of Prey in the Rocky Mountains helped to show who is rounding into form ahead of the Beijing Games. A Norwegian, the Swiss and Austrians appear strong — as usual.https://nyti.ms/3ooESG8

Mikaela Shiffrin Has a World Cup Record, and, Finally, a Rival

By BY BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports Shiffrin tied the career record for World Cup wins in a single discipline, slalom, beating Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, the sport’s reigning overall champion.https://nyti.ms/3xwLpkV

Mikaela Shiffrin Is Not Going Downhill

By BY BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports This winter, Shiffrin didn’t win as often as she usually does, but the ski racer says she is exactly where she needs to be given the pandemic and the death of her father.https://nyti.ms/3rBd8MX

Shiffrin Wins Record Sixth World Championship Title

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports A gold medal in the women’s combined at Cortina made Shiffrin the most decorated American Alpine skier at the event. She has a chance for two more wins this week.https://nyti.ms/3aiWU5z

Ted Ligety, Alpine Skiing Star and Innovator, Is Retiring

By BY BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports At 36, the only American man to win two Olympic gold medals in Alpine skiing is stepping away from the sport to spend more time with his growing family.https://nyti.ms/3p1s5qk

Ski Champion Comes Out as Gay: ‘I’m Ready to Be Happy’

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports In an interview with The New York Times, Hig Roberts, a two-time U.S. national champion, becomes the first elite men’s Alpine skier to publicly come out as gay, hoping to encourage others to be themselves.https://nyti.ms/3a6hyGl

Ski Champion Comes Out as Gay: ‘I’m Ready to Be Happy’

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL from NYT Sports In an interview with The New York Times, Hig Roberts, a two-time U.S. national champion, becomes the first elite men’s Alpine skier to publicly come out as gay, hoping to encourage others to be themselves.https://nyti.ms/2JSGFC2

Winter Sports Athletes Are Crisscrossing Europe for Races. Is That a Good Idea?

By BY MATTHEW FUTTERMAN from NYT Sports A World Cup schedule demands what medical experts have been advising against since March — large group gatherings and international travel.https://nyti.ms/2Tlf2m9

Mikaela Shiffrin, Staggered by 2020, Wants to Enjoy Ski Racing Again

By BY BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports Her father’s death, pandemic-caused cancellations and a wildfire evacuation gave the World Cup champion a new view on competing: “I want to enjoy it, the way I have enjoyed it in the past.”https://nyti.ms/2Ene44Y

For Mikaela Shiffrin, a Week Without Races Is a Resounding Success

By BY KAREN CROUSE from NYT Sports After flying to Sweden and steeling herself for her first event since her father’s death, Shiffrin declared victory despite never leaving the starting gate.https://nyti.ms/39MfMHr

Will the Next Great Male Ski Racer Please Come Down the Hill?

By BY SHAUNA FARNELL from NYT Sports Mikaela Shiffrin dominates women’s ski racing. The retirement of Marcel Hirscher has left void on the men’s side.https://nyti.ms/2LuEZw1

Mikaela Shiffrin, the Best on Skis, Gets Used to Putting a Sport on Her Shoulders

By BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports After setting a host of World Cup records, Shiffrin is taking on the task of replacing Lindsey Vonn as the face of American skiing.https://nyti.ms/2TSOaN7

It’s a ‘Time Warp’ for Shiffrin as She Returns to Where It All Began

By BRIAN PINELLI from NYT Sports Mikaela Shiffrin, who recently clinched her third overall World Cup title, is back at the Czech ski resort where she began her World Cup ski racing career as a 15-year-old.https://nyti.ms/2EOiTjI

For Mikaela Shiffrin, a Triumph That Leaves Skiing, and Her, Breathless

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Shiffrin, battling a lung infection, made a spectacular second run in the slalom to become the first Alpine skier — male or female — to win the same event at four straight world championships.https://nyti.ms/2N9hwjy

Mikaela Shiffrin Can’t Beat Wind or Rivals in the Giant Slalom

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Petra Vlhova won Slovakia’s first world title after finishing 0.14 seconds ahead of Viktoria Rebensburg in a giant slalom.Shiffrin won the bronze medal, 0.38 seconds back.https://nyti.ms/2N5zjbq

Lindsey Vonn Crashes as Mikaela Shiffrin Takes Gold at Skiing World Championships

By Unknown Author from NYT Sports Shiffrin won the super-G by two one-hundredths of a second, while Vonn, just days from retirement, eventually went down the hill unaided after a frightening tumble.https://nyti.ms/2WIvU6O

Lindsey Vonn to Retire

By BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports Vonn leaves as the greatest women’s skier in history with her 82 World Cup victories second only to Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark, who won 86.https://nyti.ms/2DO5AAy

Lindsey Vonn, Unable to Finish a Competition, Says She May Have to Retire Early

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Vonn, who has been plagued by injuries and was planning to retire in December, said she expected to decide in the next few days whether she could continue her storied skiing career.https://nyti.ms/2AQdTtJ

From Tree to Ski at the Fischer Family Factory

By JAMES HILL from NYT Sports Many of the 480 workers have spent their entire careers at the factory. https://nyti.ms/2Amv9H4

Lindsey Vonn’s Farewell Tour Will Extend Into Next Season

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports Vonn, who planned to retire after this season, said she would come back for races at Lake Louise, Alberta, in 2019.https://nyti.ms/2ACfhzy