Mikaela Shiffrin’s 2022 Olympic Run

Even top athletes have bad days.

Mikaela Shiffrin came into Beijing 2022 with the hopes and possibility of becoming the first American skier to win three gold medals at a single US Olympics. With her history of wins in Sochi and Pyeongchang, along with multiple World Cup wins, many eyes were on Shiffrin leading into the Beijing games.

However, this was not her year (or Vail Resorts’ year either).

Despite being hailed as one of the best female skiers in this country, Shiffrin left Beijing with no new medals for her collection. She DNF’d in 3 out of her 6 events, including slalom– often her best race. 

Many assumed Shiffrin would dominate the games based on her established series of wins, but as Shiffrin said herself,

“It is not easy to win. Ever.” 

Mikaela Shiffrin

After skiing out of her first 2 events, Shiffrin placed 9th in Super-G, her first completed race in Beijing. She had skied Super-G in past World Cups, but this was her first time skiing Super-G in the Olympics. 

She landed 18th in Women’s Downhill. This was her first time skiing the Downhill event at the Olympics. Downhill is a fast race with less of a technical component than the slalom and giant slalom races that Shiffrin usually shines in. 

Mental Health in Elite Sports

For many, Shiffrin’s performance in Beijing echoes Simone Biles in Tokyo. After being the favorite for every gymnastics event, Biles opted out of the games due to a case of “the twisties.” 

Her mental health and dedication to the sport were put under the microscope. On social media she was ridiculed by some as a disgrace to the US team and hailed by others as a pioneer for mental health. 

“I have to do what’s right for me and focus on my mental health and not jeopardize my health and well-being. That’s why I decided to take a step back.” -Simone Biles

Shiffrin reflected on Biles’ decision and how it was covered in the media:

“If we learn anything from this summer, it’s that people are very quick to make judgments and have opinions about something that they couldn’t understand.”

Mikaela Shiffrin

Biles did not choose to opt out as a grand stand for mental health, it was the only option. She could not bring herself to compete, and if she had forced herself to, it would be at a great risk to her physical and mental health, and her ability to compete in the future. 

Following Shiffrin’s disappointing performance in the individual events, Biles offered support prior to the team competition: 

“Just remember how AMAZING you are, we’re all cheering for you, proud of you, love & support you!”

Simone Biles

Shiffrin went into Beijing facing enormous pressure: the pressure to continue her winning streak, the anxiety of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, and still grieving her father, who passed away in February 2020. 

The Precarious Nature of Ski Racing

After skiing out of her first event, the giant slalom, that pressure increased ten fold, both from others and from herself. 

Ski-racing is a precarious sport– Shiffrin has immense technical skill, but one invisible patch of ice or unexpected groove in the snow can throw off an entire race, or in worse cases, an entire career. While a racer can control their technique and choice of equipment, they cannot control the snow conditions they will face or how that equipment will perform on it. 

While Shiffrin surely wanted to come home from Beijing with medals, surely she appreciates coming home from Beijing with both knees and all other body parts fully intact. Other skiers, like Nina O’Brien, who fractured her leg in multiple places in the giant slalom event, are less fortunate. 

The pressure elite athletes are under is always enormous– only a select handful of people get to do their job, and there are hundreds lined up to replace them after any falter. It is a short career, and one that can be made or ruined in the space of 2 minutes. 

You can fail and not be a failure

Being an Olympic favorite is even more pressure, especially after 2+ years of COVID-19 lockdowns that have delayed competition, altered training and increased our collective anxiety level. 

Despite her losses, Shiffrin remains one of the best female skiers the world has seen. As Shiffrin said:

“You can fail and not be a failure. You can lose and actually be a loser because you lost, but also still be a winner.”

Mikaela Shiffrin

She is certainly not the “dumb blonde” many on social media were quick to call her. Her defining moment of the Beijing Games may have been sitting on the side of the slopes with her head between her knees, but that moment does not define her long career of excellence, nor her future in the sport. This serves as a reminder for us all that nobody is infallible, everybody has off days (or off years!) and that failing does NOT make you a failure.