The four-letter word that will determine how many medals Mikaela Shiffrin wins in Korea

Record-setter: American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin (courtesy U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association; copyright Reese Brown)

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American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin (courtesy U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association; copyright Reese Brown)

TSX HEADLINES – for Jan. 12, 2018: American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin can enter any event she wants at the 2018 Winter Games, but if she is going to maximize her medal total, she will need to factor in one key element.

It’s a four-letter word that rhymes with zest and mirrors the same problems as previously faced by Olympic legends Carl Lewis and Joan Benoit in 1984.

We review her options and how Lewis and Benoit handled the problem in our Lane One commentary, plus a busy weekend in Olympic sport that has already started:

(1) FREESTYLE SKIING: Canada’s Mikael Kingsbury sets his claim as the greatest Moguls skier of all time with two wins at Deer Valley, while American Jaelin Kauf wins two medals in two days to secure her Olympic team spot for Korea.

(2) ICE HOCKEY: Naturally, it’s the U.S. and Canadian women facing off in one of the championship semifinals at the IIHF women’s World U-18 Championships in Russia!

(3) SWIMMING: The Tyr Pro Swim Series opener has started in Austin, with double World Champion Chase Kalisz breaking his own pool record in the 400 m Medley and swimming his second-best time in another event; he was pleased …. for January.

This issue includes THE BIG PICTURE, a rapid-read status report on Olympic sport; ON DECK previews of Bobsleigh & Skeleton ~ Cross Country skiing ~ Fencing ~ Freestyle Skiing ~ Luge ~ Nordic Combined ~ Ski Jumping ~ Snowboard; SCOREBOARD reports on Biathlon ~ Freestyle Skiing ~ Ice Hockey ~ Swimming, and AGENDA, our calendar of top-level international events.

What you need to know about the worldwide carousel of sports is in The Sports Examiner, your all-in-one briefing on Olympic sport! Click here for our new issue:

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