Winter Olympics: Mikaela Shiffrin on efforts to balance ‘fear’ and ‘excitement’ ahead of gold medal bid: ‘It gives me shivers’ -
Published 05/02/2026 at 11:14 GMT
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Alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin reflected on how she could overcome fear of Beijing repeat to chase medals in Milano Cortina. In a wide-ranging interview on her YouTube, Shiffrin spoke about different mentalities that Olympic athletes have coming into the event and analysed the difficulty of balancing family life and competition. Watch the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on TNT Sports.
The greatest show on Earth! Get ready for the Milano Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony
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Two-time gold medallist Mikaela Shiffrin discusses how she wants to avoid the fear of her Beijing shortcomings ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.
In a wide-ranging podcast on her YouTube channel, Shiffrin analysed the unique contrast of mentalities amongst athletes at the Olympics, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The alpine skier’s bid for gold at the 2022 edition in Beijing was derailed when she did not finish (DNF) in the slalom and giant slalom – two events she was heavily tipped to win.
However, the 30-year-old is desperate to put that behind her heading to Italy.
"I don’t want Beijing to be a reason that I feel fear going into Cortina." she said.
"There are so many eyes on the event and I did experience a very dark side of that level of viewership because of Beijing and I can’t un-experience that.
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"I can’t strip it out of my head, but I can take it as yet another example of what a multifaceted and outstanding journey the Olympics offer.
"I want to paint this picture of the beauty of an Olympic games. You’ve got athletes all there with this competitive spirit.
"And they’re meeting each other and cheering each other and hyping each other up, and it’s so spirited and so human.
"Then the other side of it is what seems to be perceived on the other side of the TV and that can feel very non-human.
"You're supposed to be here to win and perform and bring home a medal and to be perfect, and the truth is that’s also a very real piece of it.
'I simply can't forget they exist for three weeks'
Shiffrin was also keen to illustrate athletes' different approaches to handle the pressure of the big stage, as well as dealing with their personal lives.
While many athletes travel to Milano Cortina hoping to medal, the struggles pale in comparison to the joy and unity that surrounds the athletes and their teams.
Shiffrin praised the different mentalities, pointing out how every athlete's unique story is incredible.
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Highlights: Shiffrin wins record ninth slalom World Cup title in Kitzbuhel
Video credit: TNT Sports
She said: "It kind of gives me the shivers right now, thinking about where I was last season at this point, trying to return to World Cup racing.
"I don’t think there’s a mentality that’s right or wrong. Athletes bring in all different mentalities, all different shapes and sizes of energy and vibe going into the games.
"There are certainly things that scare me and some of those things are kind of irrational. Some of them are very real.
"Most of these things have to do with family and the health of my loved ones and things that are entirely unrelated to sport.
"But I simply can’t push them into a box and forget they exist for three weeks.
"There’s a fear of disappointment, but there's also an overwhelming sense of excitement around the entire team of athletes we’re bringing into this event across all sports.
"Being in this moment right now is a lot less nerve-wracking than how I expected it to be entering this season.
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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