Shiffrin wins gold, thanks former coach after surprise split

MERIBEL, France — Mikaela Shiffrin covered her mouth with her fluorescent orange mittens and then collapsed to the snow, still breathing heavily as her entire body pulsated from the exertion of her gold medal-winning run. Having endured a small protest aimed at her by environmentalists who mistakenly thought she was using a helicopter for training, Shiffrin’s team was thrown into disarray two days before the giant slalom at the world championships when her longtime coach, Mike Day, left suddenly when Shiffrin told him she wanted to change her staff at the end of the season. “One thing I really want to say is just, ‘Thank you,’ to Mike for seven years of — I can’t even say helping me — he’s been such an integral part of my team and being there to support me through some of the most incredible moments in my career and some of the most challenging moments of my career and also my life,” Shiffrin said, her voice cracking with emotion. “It’s just a little bit sad how it came down,” Shiffrin said, adding that she was hoping to give Day “the time and the notice” to figure out his own plans before the end of the season but that his decision to leave immediately was “difficult for all of us to imagine” after “being such a tight group, really a family.” The entire skiing circuit is like a family, too, with rivals on the slopes often sleeping in the same Alpine chalets and sharing dinners as they travel together all winter on what is known as the “White Circus.” That tight-knit bond that the skiers feel for each other was evident when Federica Brignone and Ragnhild Mowinckel rushed over to congratulate Shiffrin while she was still lying on the snow, then jumped on top of her. “I think I just misjudged my turn a tiny bit and came inside a bit and couldn’t recover.” The men’s giant slalom is scheduled for Friday then Shiffrin’s last race at worlds is the slalom — her best event — on Saturday.