Mikaela Shiffrin to skip World Cup speed races in St. Moritz

Mikaela Shiffrin will skip World Cup races in Switzerland this weekend after missing training time in speed events during the coronavirus pandemic, according to statements from the team.

The three-time overall World Cup champion opted out of two super-G races scheduled for St. Moritz, where she won two years ago.

Shiffrin is now preparing for two giant slaloms on Dec. 12-13 in Courchevel, France.

“Due to travel restrictions associated with COVID-19, opportunities for training speed this summer were non-existent for Americans,” the team said in a statement.

Shiffrin has not trained since January for downhill or super-G, the team said. She has six of her 66 career World Cup race wins in speed disciplines, with 59 coming in the technical events of slalom or giant slalom.

Shiffrin also has been limited by a back injury this season. She placed second and fifth in a pair of slaloms in Levi, Finland – both won by World Cup leader Petra Vlhova.