Mikaela Shiffrin Thinks Her Late Dad Would Joke About 'Throwing the Medal Away' After She Won Olympic Gold
· Yahoo Sports
Credit: Mikaela Shiffrin/Instagram
NEED TO KNOW
- Mikaela Shiffrin reflected on her late father, Jeffrey "Jeff" Shiffrin, after she won her third gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics
- The decorated alpine skier shared what she thought a conversation with her dad would look like after her major accomplishment for Team USA at the Games
- She shared some wisdom that she thought her father, who died in 2020, would have for her had he been there for her latest career achievement
Mikaela Shiffrin is sharing some wisdom that she picked up from her late father, Jeffrey "Jeff" Shiffrin.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
The decorated Olympic alpine skier, 30, revealed what she imagines a conversation with her dad would have looked like after she won a gold medal on Wednesday, Feb. 18, in the women's slalom at the 2026 Winter Games.
"I wish I could tell you. He really did not put a lot of emphasis on these kind of things, but he put a lot of emphasis on moments, like inspiring moments," Mikaela told Sports Illustrated of her dad, who died in a tragic accident in 2020.
Mikaela Shiffrin of Team USA wins gold in women's alpine slalom at the 2026 Winter Olympics.Credit: Daniel Kopatsch/VOIGT/Getty
"He'd cry in the moment of a triumph, but he maybe wouldn't even want to touch the medal — and that's almost similar to my mom," she said of her mother, Eileen. Both her parents were renowned ski racers in their own right who passed on their love of the sport to their daughter.
Mikaela, who became the most decorated Team USA alpine skier in Olympic history and the first American skier to win three Olympic gold medals, recalled a "philosophy" that her parents instilled in her, which places more emphasis on the enjoyment of doing the sport than the resulting prizes.
"They brought me up with the philosophy that the joyful moments of life are in the moments that you're doing the thing and not what comes once you've done it," she shared.
Mikaela Shiffrin poses with her parents, Eileen and Jeff Shiffrin, after winning the fold medal at the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships in women's slalom on Feb. 18, 2017.Credit: Giovanni Auletta/Agence Zoom/Getty
"We get to enjoy both. I got to do it and we get to enjoy the medal as well," Mikaela said of her recent Olympic experience. "But I think he would probably make some funny little awkward joke about throwing the medal away or something, I don't know."
Both Jeff and Eileen, who married in 1986, were standout ski racers. They raised their family in Vail, Colo. and enrolled Mikaela and her brother in Ski Club Vail when they were 7 and 9, respectively, per a 2021 profile in the Aspen Sojourner.
Eileen acts as one of Mikaela's main coaches and has traveled across the world alongside her daughter. The Olympian has credited her mom for supporting her throughout her career.
Mikaela Shiffrin (center) wins gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics for Team USA.Credit: Tiziana FABI / AFP via Getty
"I never feel like we're together too much," Mikaela said in a February 2026 video with Eileen for Adidas. "I think people feel like you’re following me around the world, when in reality, you’re kind of leading me."
In February 2020, Jeff suddenly passed away, leading Mikaela to take a hiatus from skiing. In the immediate aftermath, she wondered if she’d even want to keep skiing without him.
With her latest victory, Mikaela reached a new summit in her sport. She also reached a special milestone in her personal life.
Mikaela Shiffrin in action at the Winter Olympics on Feb. 16, 2026.Credit: Marco BERTORELLO / AFP via Getty
“This was a moment I have dreamed about. I’ve also been very scared of this moment,” she told reporters, including PEOPLE, at a press conference after her podium ceremony. “Everything in life that you do after you lose someone you love is like a new experience."
"It’s like being born again, and I still have so many moments where I resist this," she continued. "I don’t want to be in life without my dad... Maybe today was the first time I could actually accept this reality."
Take PEOPLE with you! Subscribe to PEOPLE magazine to get the latest details on celebrity news, exclusive royal updates, how-it-happened true crime stories and more — right to your mailbox.
"And instead of thinking I would be going in this moment without him, to take the moment to be silent with him,” Mikaela said. “And with the whole team who’s here with me now, and with my mom, who is here with me now and has been with me since the beginning."
She concluded, "It was just a little more spiritual than I usually am, but I'm really grateful for that."
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan-Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.
Read the original article on People