Struggling U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin began her Instagram entry Friday by declaring that “the girl who failed ... could also fly.”
She ended it with powerful advice for fellow athletes facing setbacks at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
“Sending my love to those who are feeling that striking hurt of defeat… only let it beat you down for a little bit, and then you stand up again and throw a few punches back. 💪💪” she wrote with a few muscle emojis.
The two-time gold medalist took a solid step earlier in the day toward restoring her confidence after her first two events ended in disqualifications in mere seconds. She finished ninth in the Super-G and said she felt “really big relief” to make it to the finish line.
The American star admitted to crippling self-doubt in an interview with NBC after hitting a gate early in the slalom this week ― her second disqualification. Following the mishap, the U.S. ski team announced that Shiffrin and her mother would forego press interviews for the “foreseeable future.” (Shiffrin spoke with NBC after the super-G.)
With time to collect her thoughts on Instagram late Friday, Shiffrin described the “rollercoaster ride of an entire Olympics.”
Her ride isn’t over. She wrote enthusiastically of the practices ahead for Monday’s downhill.
On this day, though, even for perhaps America’s greatest skier, just finishing the race was enough.
“Today was a good day, so I’m just gonna let it be that,” she concluded.