Simone Biles, Lindsey Vonn and others show support for U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin after rough start at Beijing Olympics
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/02/2022 (1332 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
At just 26 years of age, Mikaela Shiffrin is one of the most accomplished alpine skiers in U.S. history. She arrived in Beijing a two-time Olympic gold medallist, and a three-time overall World Cup champion.
Her goal: to become the first American alpine ski racer to win three Olympic golds. But even the best athletes in the world sometimes slip.
On Monday at the Yanqing Alpine Skiing Center, Shiffrin missed a gate early in her first run of the women’s giant slalom, leading to her disqualification.
On Wednesday, she skidded off course a few seconds into the slalom event, leading to another disqualification from the event she won gold at in 2014. Shiffrin still has several chances to medal in Beijing — she’ll ski in the downhill event, the super-G, and two more combined events.
Following her latest fall, a visibly shaken Shiffrin sat on the side of the race track for several moments, her head bowed.
After her fall, cameras lingered on Shiffrin, drawing criticism from fans and commentators:
“NBC seemed determined to document every single one of Shiffrin’s tears, to the point of failing to even show the next few skiers that took to the treacherous course known as Ice River,” wrote Paul Newberry in The Associated Press.
“It feels like a really big letdown,” Shiffrin told reporters after the event, her cheeks wet with tears.
On social media, many viewers criticized the network for its coverage, which was in ways reminiscent of the coverage of U.S. gymnast Simone Biles, who has spoken openly about her mental health issues, inspiring others to follow suit.
Just days ago, Shiffrin shared a video ad for the headphone company Bose, in which she reminds her fans that: “Yeah, I am human.”
On Twitter, a number of high profile athletes and celebrities — including Biles and fellow Olympians Lindsey Vonn and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde — sent Shiffrin messages of support. Here are some of those messages:
Richie Assaly is a Toronto-based digital producer for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @rdassaly
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