Olympics-Shiffrin pressure eased at Milano Cortina as Vonn return shares spotlight
* Shiffrin shares spotlight with Vonn’s return to competition * Shiffrin’s openness reshapes perception of greatness * American faces competition from Switzerland’s Rast By Julien Pretot PARIS, – At every Olympic Games, some athletes arrive carrying more than just competitive ambition – they bring the emotional weight of expectation from an entire sport, and for Alpine skiing that figure has long been Mikaela Shiffrin. At the Milano Cortina Games, however, she will not carry that burden alone. The 30-year-old American is the most successful skier in history with a record 106 World Cup victories. Her medal count, World Cup wins and discipline-spanning dominance place her in a league of her own. Yet statistics alone fail to explain why she shapes the Olympic conversation. What sets Shiffrin apart is her mix of technical mastery and emotional candour. In a sport that has long celebrated stoicism, she has spoken openly about pressure, anxiety and loss, particularly following the death of her father in 2020. That openness has changed perceptions of what greatness looks like under Olympic scrutiny, …
