Vonn, Shiffrin are Alpine’s best past, present, future

Vonn will be an overwhelming favorite in the downhill in South Korea, having won the last three World Cup races in that event. She also could contend in the other speed event, the super-G, and the combined, which adds the time from one downhill run and one slalom.

Shiffrin, meanwhile, can — indeed, will be expected to — become the first with consecutive slalom golds; she won five of the past six World Cup slaloms she entered. She also could win a medal in the other technical event, the giant slalom, along with the combined, and is likely to be in the starting hut for speed events, too.

“I like to try to understand what makes them tick and makes them so great,” Shaw said of the American team’s two best racers, “and then we try to bottle that up and make the other athletes understand what that is, so they can use it, too.”

There are, to be sure, connections between Vonn and Shiffrin, who are both based in Colorado.

Their success.

Their widely lauded work ethic and fitness training.

Their desire to help promote ski racing and attract new fans and new athletes, particularly girls.

And, of course, the comparisons perpetuated by others.

“It’s so ingrained. They always compare Mikaela to Lindsey Vonn. … It’s a normal thing for people to do,” said Shiffrin’s mother, Eileen, who is one of her coaches. “But Mikaela, right from the get-go, always said: ‘I’m not Lindsey. I’m not The Next Lindsey Vonn; I’m Mikaela Shiffrin. That’s who I am. That’s who I want to be. I don’t want to be Lindsey Vonn. And I don’t want to … follow in her footsteps. Or any of those things. We’re not even doing the same events, for Pete’s sake. So I’m not The Next Lindsey Vonn.'”

There is, though, a mutual admiration.

“Lindsey was one of my really biggest idols growing up. And I still have an enormous respect for her. The career she’s had, the focus and energy that she puts into this sport,” said the younger Shiffrin, who studies video of Vonn’s downhill runs. “So to hear anybody with the kind of success that she’s had say anything remotely positive about me is very flattering.”

Vonn does have plenty of nice things to say about Shiffrin.

During one recent interview, for example, she called Shiffrin an “amazingly talented skier” and praised her as someone who “works incredibly hard” and who “definitely has a lot of possibilities in front of her.”

Perhaps as soon as this month in South Korea.

But who knows for how much longer that will even be a possibility? Vonn plans to compete for another World Cup season with two aims in mind: She wants to get permission for a barrier-breaking race against men and plans to eclipse Ingemar Stenmark’s mark of 86 career victories.

If — when? — she does the latter, it could be just a matter of time until Shiffrin betters Vonn’s record. After all, Shiffrin’s 41 World Cup wins are the most for someone before her 23rd birthday and a remarkable 34 more than Vonn accumulated by that age. Yes, you read that correctly: 34 more.

Back during preseason training in New Zealand in 2015, Vonn and Shiffrin — rivals on the slopes, American teammates off — met at a coffee shop for hot cocoa and their first extended chat.

They talked about life and family and, of course, skiing, and the idea of going head-to-head as Shiffrin prepared to expand her repertoire to include the speed races that have been Vonn’s domain for years and years.

“I have a feeling,” Shiffrin said shortly after that heart-to-heart, “it could be one of those things where she’s not going to give it to me, and I’m sure as heck not going to give it to her.”

AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf contributed to this report.