Fresh off claiming slalom gold at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics—her fourth career Olympic medal and a record-breaking feat for American women’s alpine skiing—Mikaela Shiffrin has delivered a powerful reminder of what truly drives elite athletes: passion for the process, not just the podium.
In a widely shared promotional video for AG1 by Athletic Greens, the 31-year-old superstar breaks down her philosophy in a step-by-step guide to becoming a world-class skier. “In a sport built around getting to the finish line, the goal isn’t to be satisfied because the joy isn’t in the finish,” Shiffrin says emphatically. “The joy is in the race.”
The quote, which has resonated deeply with fans and fellow athletes, captures the essence of Shiffrin’s mindset during a high-stakes Olympic campaign. After early disappointments in her first two events—no medals in those races—she rebounded dramatically in the women’s slalom on February 18, dominating both runs to secure gold and surpass Lindsey Vonn as the most decorated U.S. female skier in Olympic history.
Shiffrin’s words echo her post-race reflections, where she described shifting focus from “dreaming” of medals to simply skiing with freedom and intensity. “Stop dreaming, just ski,” she told NBC Sports in an emotional interview, crediting the mindset for helping her channel nerves into performance. The sentiment also ties into her long-standing approach to the sport: loving the daily grind, the technical mastery, and the thrill of competition itself.
The message comes at a poignant time for alpine skiing. Shiffrin’s U.S. teammate Lindsey Vonn, in her own emotional Olympic comeback, suffered a catastrophic crash in the downhill that ended her season and nearly cost her leg—yet Vonn has expressed no regrets, emphasizing the pursuit over the outcome. Shiffrin herself praised Vonn’s “tenacity and grit” ahead of the Games, highlighting the mutual respect between the two legends.
Shiffrin’s philosophy has struck a chord beyond the slopes, inspiring broader conversations about finding fulfillment in the journey rather than fixating on results. In an era of intense pressure and social media scrutiny, her candid embrace of the “joy in the race” offers a refreshing counterpoint to outcome-obsessed narratives.
As Shiffrin continues her dominant career—now with multiple Olympic golds, eight World Championships, and a record 71 World Cup slalom wins—her words serve as both personal mantra and universal inspiration: true satisfaction lies not at the finish line, but in every turn, every training session, and every moment of pure, unfiltered love for the sport.
