Espionage: There's a rift between Shiffrin and Vlhova

So far, Shiffrin and Vlhova's relationship has been quite harmonious. The American even recently said: "I think if we weren't competitors, we would be really good friends." But slowly there seems to be a conflict of interest between the two ski stars.

Mikaela Shiffrin is not impressed with Vlhova's team's methods. © APA / EXPA/MICHAEL GRUBER

The reason: Petra Vlhova's trainer, the Italian Livio Magoni, regularly films Shiffrin's training sessions. Tina Maze's former coach makes no secret of this: "It's important to see what Mikaela does because she's the best skier in the world," says Magoni in the Journal of Sport quoted. His employees not only film Shiffrin, but also the team around him. “If you are intelligent, you can learn a lot. How Shiffrin thinks, but also how the team presents itself during training. As a head coach, it is important for me to see how others lead their team,” he explains his actions. Legally in the green area It goes without saying that Shiffrin is not happy about this. In an interview with Ski Racing Media and NBC Sports The ski star was frustrated and at the same time annoyed by Vlhova's “film crews”. “I see what I do with my skis as my intellectual property. “It’s something I worked hard for with my coaches,” says Shiffrin, who doesn’t name any names, but it’s clear who these messages are aimed at.

But: From a legal point of view, Vlhova's trainer is in the green with his methods. The ski slopes on which the athletes train are all freely accessible, so anyone can take photos. It is doubtful whether the coach is doing the relationship between Vlhova and Shiffrin a favor. In any case, the success proves Magoni right: In Zagreb, Vlhova distanced herself from her fiercest competitor by more than a second.

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Espionage: There's a rift between Shiffrin and Vlhova

Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova are among the crème de la crème of skiing. In order to be better than your competitor, you apparently stop at nothing in this duel, as a “spy affair” now proves.

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