YANQING, China (Reuters) - Mikaela Shiffrin was expected to cement her position at the top of her sport at the Beijing Games, but after not being able to finish any of her races so far, her story echoes that of fellow elite athletes Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka at the Tokyo Games.
But while gymnast Biles and tennis player Osaka said the pressure and media attention had got too much and weighed on their ability to perform at the top of their game, Shiffrin said she could handle the pressure and had much to be optimistic about.
The 26-year-old American even thanked journalists for their kind words after her aborted slalom.
After crashing out of the giant slalom on Monday, Shiffrin, who is already one of the world’s greatest Alpine skiers, went out at an early stage in Wednesday’s slalom race.
“It’s been an OK couple of days but still tough because you feel like this moment is building and building and building and you feel a bit weighed down by it but I’m OK to feel that way. It’s taken a lot of years and I’m not scared to feel a little weighed down by some expectation anymore,” she said.
Biles did not finish her scheduled competitions at the summer Games due to a sudden and dangerous disorientation in midair, later saying mental health was more important than sports.
Osaka, who has said she suffered from depression, had pulled out of other big events before Tokyo to avoid the media which she said was affecting her mental well-being. She eventually lost to a much-lower ranked player in Tokyo.