BEIJING, China — U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin finished the super-G after back-to-back disqualifications to open the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The 26-year-old from Edwards, Colorado, finished with ninth with a time of 1:14.30, about eight-tenths of a second behind the leader, gold medalist Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland.
"I was trying to ski smooth, and just really good solid turns, and trying to be in my tuck as much as possible," Shiffrin said after the race. "I think I had a really good plan, and the course ran pretty similar to how I thought. And to be honest, that was quite a big relief. Because after the last days what I've expected is not -- and not from even results, just what I expected from the feeling of the course was not how it went."
> Watch Shiffrin's interview after the race below:
She competed in the event at the Olympic level for the first time, but did win super-G gold at the 2019 world championship and bronze in 2021.
"I skied a little super-G yesterday and went for the race today, and it felt really nice," she said. "It's like the one thing that makes a little bit of sense. How I thought the trail was going to run and how it would feel was pretty much how it did, and I was able to handle it, which I've been questioning a lot the past few days."
Shiffrin said she would go through training runs before determining if she'll compete in the downhill competition.
"I feel a lot more positive and a little bit of relief after skiing the super-G," she said. "To know that it's not so difficult. There's some normal key sections. Good skiing is good skiing, and I can really go for that. So I feel a lot more optimistic right now."
Shiffrin also said she was appreciative of the outpouring of support she's received.
"I don't feel like I deserve it," she said. "It's been insane how many people have reached and tried to cheer me up. I think every time someone sends a message I think, 'You don't have to waste your time on me, because I'm going to be fine.' I have Olympic medals and I've had great success and a lot of triumphant moments and plenty to be happy about."
However, Shiffrin was honest when she brought up the previous events.
"Right now it really stings," she said. "I feel disappointment from the [giant slalom] and slalom race. That disappointment is huge, and I know a lot of people feel it. I feel bad for letting myself down, or letting down the world. But mostly I feel bad because I wanted to ski the track. I wanted to ski well. That was my biggest goal, and I didn't get to do that."
Shiffrin called her first two performances failures, but said she was still proud she competed.
"I would never have expected to feel in this moment, severely underperforming in an Olympics -- I would never have felt that humans can be so kind," she said. "I never would have expected that. It's the most surprising thing of my Olympics career is how kind people have been in the face of my failure. I mean, it is failure. It's OK to say that. I'm OK with saying that. And I'm sorry for it, but I was trying, and I'm proud of that."
Now, Shiffrin is looking ahead to the remaining events she could compete in.
"We get another chance at the track in the alpine combined and slalom, and a good week of just nice skiing coming up now," she said. "I think today proved to myself that I can still trust my instincts, and that's really huge."
Before the race, Shiffrin said she was thankful for the support being sent her way since her second disqualification in two events.
She was looking to rebound from her disastrous start to the Olympics by trying something new.
"I can’t express how grateful I am to have the opportunity to refocus on a new race, in the sport that I love so much," Shiffrin tweeted. "Onward."
Despite her early exits from the slalom and giant slalom -- events the two-time gold medalist was heavily favored in -- she still has two or three more chances to make history.
If Shiffrin can claim the top spot in one of her remaining events, she will become the first U.S. alpine skier to ever win three gold medals in a career.
RELATED: What are the rules of super-G?
Shiffrin almost immediately skied out just about five seconds after beginning her first run in the women's slalom.
She appeared to yell out the moment she missed the gate in the slalom, which she won at the 2014 Sochi Games. She skied over the edge of the course and sat down, bowing her head. She stayed there for several minutes.
Days earlier, Shiffrin's first trip down the race hill at the Beijing Games lasted just five turns and mere seconds, ending in a disqualification from the opening leg of the giant slalom that she called “a huge disappointment.”
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RELATED: 'Unbelievably proud of her': Mikaela Shiffrin's family watches Olympics slalom from Colorado
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