After claiming an emotional Olympic gold, Mikaela Shiffrin’s thoughts turned to one person who was not there – her father, Jeff.
The American crossed the line as Olympic slalom champion, as she did 12 years ago in Sochi, aged 18.
Only this time, as she embraced her mother and coaches, she felt the absence of her dad, who passed away six years ago.
“For my dad, who didn’t get to see this. This was a moment I had dreamed about. I have also been very scared of this moment,” she said.
“Everything in life you do after you lose someone you love is like a new experience.
“It is like being born again and I still have so many moments where I resist this. I don’t want to be in life without my dad and maybe today was the first time that I could actually accept this reality.
“Instead of thinking I would be in this moment without him, to take the moment to be silent with him.”
Shiffrin spent almost a year away from the sport following the loss – which she referred to as an “invisible injury” – while she has spoken openly about her mental health struggles.
Her triumph in Italy, claiming gold in emphatic style by an extraordinary 1.50sec margin, cements her name among the greats of alpine skiing.
The 30-year-old clocked an overall time of 1:39:10 to become a three-time Olympic champion, following her success in Sochi then Pyeongchang in 2018.
The eight years in between without an Olympic medal have brought many challenges for Shiffrin, within and away from the sport.
But she said the most important thing on Wednesday was to “show up” for the race.
“It’s so much work just to show up for two runs and do something that is within me and I know how to do,” she said.
“It is not always easy. Sometimes it feels impossible. In the end, today, it was to take away the noise and be simple with it.”
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