Monday, July 27, 2020

The Beauty Of Sport, Part Five: Mikaela Shiffrin

As a skier, Mikaela Shiffrin is definitely what they call a "phenom."


She's been an active in skiing competition since her late teens, and having turned 25 in March 2020, she's already complied an enviable list of accomplishments.  

She won the gold medal in the slalom at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and won the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang in the giant slalom as well as the silver medal in the combined event at Pyeongchang.


World championship titles?  Yes, absolutely.  The won the slalom gold at the Alpine World Ski Championships four consecutive times - at Schladming, Austria in 2013, at Beaver Creek, Colorado, in 2015, at St Moritz in 2017, and at Åre, Sweden in 2019.  (The Alpine Ski championships are held only in odd-numbered years.)  And she won the silver in the giant slalom at St. Moritz and the bronze medal in the same event at Åre while she was at it.


Assuming COVID-19 doesn't ruin the 2021 Alpine World Ski Championships, Ms. Shiffrin is bound to wow 'em on the slalom again.

In the meantime, we've been able to see her ski in a commercial for Land Rover's top-line SUV.  She makes her way to the ski slope in a blinding snowstorm despite closed roads and then skis down the hill from her vehicle.  It's a silly ad, because how does she get back to the SUV?

No matter, it's still fun to watch Mikaela Shiffrin ski in any milieu.

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