Mikaela Shiffrin is having a rough go at it in the Winter Olympics, failing to advance past the opening run of both the slalom and giant slalom.
As a three-time Olympic medalist and the reigning giant slalom Olympic champion, she entered the Beijing Games with extremely high expectations from both herself and others. Not turning in the type of breathtaking performances people have come accustomed to has been yet another reminder of the pressure placed on these athletes.
After her “Did Not Finish” in Tuesday’s giant slalom, Shiffrin’s boyfriend and fellow Alpine skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde shared a perfect message on Instagram about the pressure of competing on this level and how people should show support in these inevitable moments.
Fellow Olympic giant and gymnast Simone Biles also sent love Shiffrin’s way, just months from her own withdrawal from the Summer Games.
🤍🤍🤍 @MikaelaShiffrin
— Simone Biles (@Simone_Biles) February 9, 2022
The thing is, Shiffrin has been one of the very best athletes in an incredibly difficult and dangerous sport. The pedestal athletes like her and Biles are placed on as a result of their success – a very pressure-filled pedestal to be on – should afford them grace in these situations. That’s what Kilde wanted to remind people of.
Shiffrin appreciated the words of encouragement.
My hope for every human is that they
find another human who finds a way to
love, understand, and heal them in the way @AleksanderKilde has done and
continues to for me ❤️ https://t.co/sDrTptur4R— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) February 9, 2022
Olympic athletes train extremely hard for a once-in-every-four-years opportunity. When they fail to live out their dreams, especially the ones who have tasted that success, it’s not easy.
Hopefully people keep that in mind the next time one of the world’s top athletes fails to live up to what they expect. It’s going to happen because no one is perfect. And more than likely, that athlete has higher expectations of themselves than anyone else.
