How Olympic skier Mikaela Shiffrin went from a toddler in strap-on skis to the world's best slalom skier, favored to win Olympic gold
Shiffrin's parents — anesthesiologist Jeff and former nurse Eileen — are both avid skiers, too. They introduced Shiffrin and her brother Taylor to the sport at the early age. "They had us walking around the living room in these tiny, little, plastic Mickey Mouse skis that you just latched onto snow boots," Taylor told the New York Post.
All that early exposure paid off. When the Vail, Colorado native was five, she wowed skiing instructors with her technique. They ended up declaring they didn't know which training group to put her in, Sports Illustrated reported. So Shiffrin continued to train with her parents.
Source: Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker
She ultimately attended Burke Mountain Academy, a Vermont prep school for young ski racers. By 2012, she had made the US ski team.
Source: Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker
The 16-year-old was quite a bit younger than most of her team members on the race circuit. Her mother Eileen ended up accompanying her on the tours.
Source: Sports Illustrated
The age gap was a source of friction, at times. "She had heard all kinds of stories about what goes on out on the World Cup. She said to me, ‘Nobody is going to want to hang out with me. I don't drink. I don't party. I don't sleep with boys,'” Eileen told Sports Illustrated.
Source: Sports Illustrated, The New Yorker
Shiffrin has since bonded with other US team members. "I don’t feel like I'm tagging along anymore," she told Sports Illustrated.
Source: Sports Illustrated
Her slalom wins at the 2013, 2015, and 2017 World Championships wowed the skiing world...
Source: US Skiing and Snowboarding
... as did her performance at the 2014 Winter Olympics. At the age of 18, she became the youngest alpine gold medalist in the slalom.
Source: NBC, Business Insider, USA Today
During the competition, she was going so fast that she nearly wiped out on the slope. "It scared me half to death," she told USA Today. But Shiffrin recovered and went on to clinch the gold.
Source: NBC, Business Insider, USA Today
Her success attracted attention, and that heightened scrutiny had a downside. "I never used to feel nervous," she told The New Yorker. "Just excited." But the surge of public and media interest forced her to come to grips with a growing anxiety over her skiing.
Source: The New Yorker
She sticks to a daily schedule, downing a breakfast of toast and two fried eggs, and then embarking on a workout that involves everything from a ten-minute spin warmup to awe-inspiring Olympic lifts.
Source: Outside
When she's not skiing or training, Shiffrin plays tennis and soccer. She also loves a good romantic comedy, telling US Skiing and Snowboarding, "Don't even try to get me to watch a horror movie."
Source: US Skiing and Snowboarding
Shiffrin's brother Taylor said her outlook is the ultimate key to her success. Rather than focusing on being "the best ever," she looks to get better every day.
Source: The New York Post
He told the New York Post: "... Once you shift the focus from the process of being better than what you were yesterday to 'I want to be the best ever,' you lose sight of what's going to make you the best ever."
Source: The New York Post
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