Beijing 2022: Shiffrin reflects on her Olympic journey

American super-star, Mikaela Shiffrin had a challenging start to her 2022 Olympic journey after not finishing the women’s slalom or GS. Nonetheless, she has shown a huge amount of grit to continue her Olympic dream. After finishing 9th in today Super G, Shiffrin shared some thoughts on the developing situation.

On completing her run, after not finishing the giant slalom or slalom earlier at Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022:
"It felt really nice to ski that today.

"There's a lot of disappointment over the last week. There's a lot of emotions. (It was) not really easy to reset and know if I was up for the challenge today.

"The track itself is beautiful, and it's sunny, and the snow is amazing. Coming back out and getting the chance to race again was just the perfect thing to do, actually."

On her goal for the day:
"I haven't skied super-G since Cortina (world cup in January), and before that I hadn't skied since St Moritz, Val d'Isere (in December), I don't know. It's been quite some time.

"There were no training days. We went out yesterday for the hill ski and just three runs of training. It just was like OK, super-G feels OK.

"Our plan yesterday was to get on the super-G skis, see how it felt, and decide if it would even be safe to race today. But also knowing that the track itself is not something crazy challenging, it's just after the last week there's been a lot of emotional fatigue.

"I feel emotionally weary right now, there's just a sense of dullness, and you can't have that racing, especially not racing speed.

"But when we got out today I just felt a little bit more settled, a little bit quieter, trying to keep some calmness and just trying to focus on the task at hand so I could put my attention where I wanted and ski the hill and the course properly.

"I didn't think there was a very big chance to come in and win, or even medal, in this race with these women who have been skiing super-G all season.

"I just skied strong, and it's a really big relief to be here now in the finish, having skied a run well. I wasn't skiing safe or anything, but I also did get to the finish and that's really nice for my heart to know that it's not totally abandoning everything I thought I knew about the sport."

On the support she received after not finishing her previous races at Beijing 2022:
"There are two sides of the coin. On the one hand, it's just the most incredible feeling to have so many people reaching out and sending support and just showing so much kindness.

"From certain people I expect that, but just as a whole general feeling, I wouldn't have expected so much support and understanding in a situation where I failed twice to do the job that I am supposed to do. That's the honest truth, because I've spent the last 12 years doing that job. It's OK to be there.

"A lot of athletes have said before pressure's a privilege, and it truly is, to be in the position that I come to the Olympics and I'm a contender, and actually expected to medal in multiple events. That's spectacular. It says a lot about the work that my whole team, we've all done to this point.

"But it's an enormous letdown when it doesn't happen. I can go back and say I've won medals before in my career and that's wonderful, but it doesn't take away any hurt or disappointment from these races. I think it's possible to feel both proud of a career and sad for the moment you're in."

On her current emotions:
"There was nothing sad about today. It's just really quite solid skiing, and everything was pretty much on point.

"Not everybody's going to understand that, because I've also done super-G races in my career, but that's where it was. That's where the day is right now."

On constantly thinking about skiing:
"It's a little obsessive. I don't know if it's healthy, but it is where we are. I don't know if anything that we really do is healthy.

"I had a dream last night that was just repetitive the whole night long, and I kept waking up from it and going back to sleep, and it just kept happening that I skied out on the fifth gate. Surprise. (laughs). It really felt pretty awful to have that dream again and again.

"After South Korea (PyeongChang 2018) I was dreaming about the slalom race, but worse things were happening. It wasn't like I came in fourth again, it was like awful things were happening in the race. It's just one of those things that you care about and you think about, and then you start dreaming about it."

On her mood today:
"I actually slept pretty well. I didn't wake up with a great feeling, but we come out here and it's a beautiful track, a beautiful day, really good conditions. And super-G is really fun to ski.

"I was pushing for it, but it's also just trying to ski well. And it's nice that the skiing supported the feeling, which supported where I stand, which is not that far off."

On the importance of acknowledging failure:
"Failure is a scary word, and disappointment, all the negative words, because we're supposed to be kind to ourselves. And that's OK.

"But I do consider it failure. I think a lot of people do. It's just tough to see that word in the headline of an article, and it feels like clickbait to say 'crashes out, fails, disappoints the world, chokes'. They're just harsh words, but I've finally come to terms with that being a little bit part of what we're doing here.

"I've had a lot of moments where I didn't fail as well, so it all comes out in the wash in the end."

Quotes courtesy of the Olympic Information Service