Mikaela Shiffrin captured gold in the slalom, ending her Olympic drought. It was her first medal since winning silver in the combined at the 2018 Olympics, and there's no doubt there were a lot of emotions that came with this win for her.
During her press conference, she spoke about the fear of winning with her dad not being able to witness it, and it was a touching moment that could have had anyone shedding tears in the moment.
“This was a moment that I've dreamed about. I've also been very scared of this moment,” Shiffrin said. “Everything you do in life after you lose someone you love is like a new experience. It's like being born again. I still have so many moments where I resist this. I don't want to be in life without my dad. Maybe today was the first time that I could actually accept this, like reality. And instead of thinking, I would be going in this moment without him to take the moment to be silent with him.”
I really loved this from Mikaela Shiffrin after her win yesterday. So honest and emotional when speaking about her fear of winning, knowing her dad wasn't there to see it.
I think so many of us can find some magic in her words.
Worth a listen. pic.twitter.com/VygEpjuPVJ
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) February 19, 2026
Social media did nothing but praise her vulnerability.
“Her interviews are seemingly her working things out in real time and it's comes across so genuine and refreshing,” one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“She is not only the best skier of all time, she is also a great person,” another user wrote.
“This was such a relatable and powerful interview. Of course, it needed a Kleenex alert though,” a third user wrote.
It was definitely a touching moment, and people were able to see the human side of Shiffrin even though she had just accomplished a major feat.
