US alpine skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin is approaching the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics with a renewed sense of peace and perspective, shaped by profound personal transformation since her challenging Beijing 2022 experience.
In a candid recent episode of her podcast What’s the Point with Mikaela Shiffrin, the 30-year-old reflected on her evolving mindset across four Olympic cycles. From the wide-eyed excitement of her debut as a teenager at Sochi 2014 to the emotional struggles in Beijing, Shiffrin now prioritizes “calm, quiet, focused moments” over pressure-filled expectations.
The turning point came after Beijing, where grief from her father Jeff’s unexpected death in 2020 deeply affected her performance. Unable to simply “power through” as she had hoped, Shiffrin sought help from a psychologist in the summer following those Games. She described the therapy as a catalyst for “indescribable growth,” primarily in her personal life but with clear ripple effects on her skiing.
“I had no real understanding… of how unpredictable, nonlinear, and unstructured grief really is,” she shared. The work helped her process the loss and its ongoing impact, leading to greater self-awareness and resilience.
Looking ahead to Italy, Shiffrin feels a mix of emotions but is overwhelmingly excited about the opportunity. She admits to some fears tied to external expectations, but her focus remains on the fundamentals: making good turns, staying present, and moving forward even when things feel heavy.
Her values now guide her toward arriving in Cortina with an “open mind” and “overwhelming sense of gratitude” for still being able to compete at the highest level after enduring personal and injury setbacks. Remarkably, some of her career’s brightest moments have unfolded post-Beijing, reinforcing the positive outcomes of her commitment to mental health and self-improvement.
Shiffrin also highlighted the vital role of her support network—”a village of people” including family, coaches, and teammates—that has evolved alongside her. In a sport often seen as individual, she stressed that no success happens in isolation.
As the Games approach, the all-time World Cup wins leader embodies quiet confidence, ready to channel her journey of grief, healing, and thankfulness into what could be another memorable chapter on the slopes.
