American skier Mikaela Shiffrin started skiing when she was 2 years old in her family's driveway. Now, at 26, she is eyeing gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Here are five things to know about Shiffrin.
- She's a two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world champion.
She recorded a DNF on her first run of the women's giant slalom competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, knocking her out of the opportunity to defend her gold medal from 2018. Shiffrin skied out of her second straight race at the Winter Olympics on Tuesday night in the women’s slalom. She looks forward to her next events.
2. She was born in the ski town of Vail, Colo., and grew up in nearby Edwards.
Growing up in Colorado kicked off Shiffrin's love for skiing and racing, according to Team USA.
3. She comes from a family of skiers.
Shiffrin's father, Jeff, skied for Dartmouth College. Her mother, Eileen, was a Masters ski racer. And her only brother, Taylor, skied for the University of Denver.
4. She started skiing when she was 2.
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Everyone's got to start somewhere. Shiffrin began skiing as a toddler in her family's driveway. As an adult, she has skied competitively all over the world.
5. Her family launched a relief fund for sports setbacks caused by COVID-19.
In 2019, Shiffrin lost her father at 65 in an accident in Colorado. In 2020, the family launched the Jeff Shiffrin Athlete Resiliency Fund, in honor of her father. The fund has raised $1.5 million in response to the COVID-19 crisis and the setbacks it created for sports.
Check out the full Winter Olympics schedule and keep track of Olympics headlines through The Torch live blog.
