Mikaela Shiffrin shares her thoughts on post-Olympic life, her ‘inspo’ Kylie Kelce, and additional insights.

When conversations turn to the greatest athletes of all time, names such as Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James are often among the first mentioned. However, another sporting icon who firmly deserves a place in that conversation is Mikaela Shiffrin.

At 31 years old, Shiffrin has already established herself as the most decorated alpine skier in history. Her remarkable achievements include becoming the first skier ever to record 100 World Cup victories, a milestone that further cemented her legacy as one of the greatest competitors the sport has ever seen.

Over the course of her incredible career, Shiffrin has competed in four Winter Olympic Games and collected an extraordinary list of accomplishments along the way. She has won three Olympic gold medals and one silver medal while also dominating the World Cup circuit for years.

The Colorado native is an eight-time World Championship gold medalist, a six-time overall World Cup champion, and a nine-time World Cup slalom title winner. In 2023, her excellence was recognised even further when she won the ESPY Award for Best Female Athlete.

Despite all of her success, Shiffrin’s journey has not been without disappointment and adversity. One of the most difficult periods of her career came during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Heading into those Games, Shiffrin was widely viewed as one of the strongest favourites for gold in multiple events. Expectations surrounding her performance were enormous, with many predicting she would dominate the slopes once again.

Instead, the Olympics turned into a painful experience. Shiffrin recorded a Did Not Finish result in both the slalom and giant slalom events and ultimately failed to win an individual medal. The disappointment generated intense scrutiny and criticism, creating one of the most emotionally difficult chapters of her career.

Four years later, however, Shiffrin delivered a powerful response at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. She captured gold in the slalom event, becoming the oldest American woman ever to win Olympic gold in alpine skiing.

That achievement added another extraordinary layer to her legacy because she had also been the youngest American skier to win Olympic gold when she triumphed as an 18-year-old during her first Olympic appearance back in 2014.

Following the Games in Cortina, Shiffrin sat down with The Philadelphia Inquirer to discuss her Olympic journey, the lessons she learned from Beijing, life after the Olympics, and even some lighter topics involving Kylie Kelce.

When asked whether she ever imagined growing up that she would eventually be considered the “GOAT” of alpine skiing, Shiffrin admitted the idea never really crossed her mind.

She explained that when she was younger, the term GOAT was not nearly as common in sports culture as it is today. While legendary athletes like Ali were often described as the greatest ever, the specific label itself was not used constantly the way it is now.

According to Shiffrin, she gradually grew into hearing that kind of recognition attached to her name over time. She said she never entered the sport carrying those expectations or imagining she would one day be viewed in that category.

The conversation also turned toward the lessons she learned from the disappointment of the 2022 Olympics and how those experiences helped shape her mindset heading into Cortina four years later.

Shiffrin explained that Beijing taught her something incredibly important about her identity outside of sport. During the Olympics, athletes can easily become consumed by the intensity of the event because it feels like the entire world revolves around those competitions.

However, once the Games end, reality returns and athletes are reminded that their lives contain far more than medals and results. Shiffrin said she came to understand that she still had family, relationships, and meaningful experiences waiting for her beyond the Olympics.

That perspective became crucial in helping her handle pressure during the 2026 Games. She realised her value as a person was not dependent entirely on Olympic success because skiing represented only one part of a much larger life.

Even with that understanding, she admitted she still desperately wanted to succeed and win gold in Cortina. The difference was that she learned how to compartmentalise the pressure more effectively than she had in Beijing.

Another major topic discussed during the interview involved the Post-it Notes Shiffrin placed around her mirror during the Olympics. The notes contained motivational messages and reminders intended to help her manage fear and anxiety throughout the Games.

Shiffrin openly acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges she faces during the Olympics is fear — particularly fear of criticism and fear of failure on such a massive stage.

She explained that Olympic competition comes with enormous emotional risk because athletes invest everything into preparing for a single moment. When success does not happen, the criticism and backlash can feel overwhelming.

To help herself navigate those emotions, Shiffrin said she spent time speaking with psychologists and teammates while gradually adding motivational mantras to the notes around her mirror each day.

Those reminders helped reinforce the values and perspectives that mattered most to her throughout the competition.

When asked what happened to the Post-it Notes afterward, Shiffrin revealed she kept them carefully preserved inside her journal, which now sits on her piano at home.

She admitted she hopes to eventually transform them into something more permanent, perhaps even engraving the messages onto a plaque she could hang on her wall as a reminder of that Olympic experience.

Shiffrin also discussed what life has been like since the Olympics concluded. Contrary to the common perception that athletes immediately relax and celebrate after winning medals, she explained that ski racers quickly return to competition.

Following the Games, she continued competing on the World Cup circuit for another two months and did not leave Europe until the end of March when the season finally concluded.

According to Shiffrin, continuing to race immediately after the Olympics can actually be beneficial because it provides athletes with structure and focus rather than leaving them to experience a sudden emotional crash after the Games.

Away from skiing, Shiffrin shared some of the ways she likes to relax and unwind. She revealed that she and her mother recently began binge-watching television shows together, including Gossip Girl, Grey’s Anatomy, and Gilmore Girls.

She also enjoys playing music whenever time allows, although she admitted training and recovery often take priority during the competitive season.

Finally, the interview touched on Shiffrin’s amusing connection to Kylie Kelce after social media users noticed similarities in their appearance during the Olympics.

Shiffrin laughed about the comparisons and admitted she could see some resemblance, especially when both women wear their hair in ponytails. However, she jokingly insisted Kelce is prettier, funnier, cooler, and far more naturally charismatic.

The skiing superstar even described Kelce as a source of inspiration, particularly when it comes to skincare and personal style, adding another lighthearted moment to a deeply reflective conversation about pressure, growth, and life beyond Olympic competition.