Mikaela Shiffrin
The 18-year-old American skier who won gold in Sochi 2014 Winter Games for downhill and combined events, is a typical example of an athlete who was born with innate talent but worked hard to achieve success. She got her first pair of skis when she was two years old and started racing at age six. She had never even seen snow before that! Her father took her skiing on frozen cornfields to practice turns without fear of falling hard on concrete or asphalt. Now, as one of America's youngest-ever medalists in any sport - male or female - Mikaela has dreams beyond skiing.
The 18-year-old American skier who won gold in Sochi 2014 Winter Games for downhill and combined events, is a typical example of an athlete who was born with innate talent but worked hard to achieve success. She got her first pair of skis when she was two years old and started racing at age six. She had never even seen snow before that! Her father took her skiing on frozen cornfields to practice turns without fear of falling hard on concrete or asphalt. Now, as one of America's youngest-ever medalists in any sport - male or female - Mikaela has dreams beyond skiing.
Olympic Gold Medalist Mikaela Shiffrin is a huge deal
Mikaela Shiffrin is a professional ski racer, having recently finished in 2nd place in the slalom at the World Championships. However, Mikaela Shiffrin became the youngest American to ever medal at the Winter Olympics when she won gold in slalom at Sochi. She competed in these games at 18 years old, and she has already made history with her victory.She has won the first gold medal for the United States in slalom
Mikaela Shiffrin became the first-ever American to medal in the slalom event at the Sochi Olympics, and she did it as an 18-year-old. Mikaela Shiffrin had already garnered attention with her 2nd place finish at Worlds and is now making headlines as an Olympic gold medalist.Mikaela Shiffrin showed great technique and patience as she skied to victory at Sochi 2014. Not only did she win the USA team a gold medal, but her 1st run time was enough to take 1st place overall. The cheering crowd was elated with her success, and this young American will be returning home a hero after winning Olympic gold for Team USA.
Her win was historic, as she is only 18 years old and this is her first Olympics
Mikaela Shiffrin is an 18-year-old female who has recently won the gold medal in slalom for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin's victory made her the youngest American to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. This victory was significant because she was 18 years old, not even old enough to drive a car in America or drink alcohol legally. Her victory signaled the first gold medal for Team USA at the Sochi games thus far.Mikaela Shiffrin became famous for being one of the best slalom skiers in the world when she finished 2nd place at World Championships back in February 2014. It wasn't until now that she had competed in the Olympics. She is only 18 years old, yet she is competing in her first Olympics, and she is one of America's top athletes. Mikaela Shiffrin worked hard to secure her victory in Sochi, as she received 56.85 points after the first run with a solid score. She held her lead after the first run and eventually gained a time of 1:44.54 as she skied to victory.
The US had not won a gold medal in slalom since 1952
The US had not won a gold medal in slalom since 1952, and Mikaela Shiffrin could change that. In February 2014, she earned 2nd place at World Championships and was the youngest American to medal in the slalom event. She skied to victory at Sochi, beating her own time from World Championships by over a second. With the holidays approaching, she will be celebrated as a hero who made history for America, winning a gold medal for Team USA at Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.Mikaela Shiffrin was nervous about taking on this event, but she won gold at the Olympics. The 18-year-old is one of America's youngest winter athletes and has made history with her victory in slalom. Before Mikaela Shiffrin went to Sochi, she told reporters that she had never even dreamed about winning a gold medal. However, after only her first run of 1:44.54, it looked like Mikaela Shiffrin's chances were very good. She continued skiing and skied another solid second run in which she gained over half a point on her closest competitor. Her success showed true dedication to Team USA by earning its first gold medal at the Sochi games so far.
She is the youngest American to win a gold medal at an Olympics in any sport besides figure skating, and that was back in 1960. Mikaela Shiffrin's win put the US in a position to potentially earn more medals in slalom in the coming years. Mikaela Shiffrin has a great chance of qualifying for the next Olympics as well.
Mikaela's father still has his original Olympic ring from when he competed on behalf of Switzerland back then
Mikaela Shiffrin's father, Jeff Shiffrin, has his original Olympic ring from when he competed on behalf of Switzerland back then. Mikaela Shiffrin had said that she learned about her father's Olympic career from him. She would always see the ring and how proud her dad was to have received it. Mikaela's father competed in Switzerland, representing them in 1988 and 1992. Her dad also taught her how to fence, which she enjoys doing on the weekends.It's great to see an athlete who can make history at such a young age
I'm so excited for the 18-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin, who just became the youngest woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the Sochi Olympics. She's only the fourth American woman to win gold in slalom and the youngest of them all. She did it with great power and nerve: After a solid first run, she was ranked ninth and needed to beat everyone ahead of her — which would put her second — by three seconds or more to get on the podium. And that's exactly what happened.Mikaela Shiffrin has been attempting this record since she was 4 years old
Mikaela has been attempting this record since she was 4 years old. Mikaela was a natural at skiing and started winning races by the time she turned 5.There was plenty of competition in the women's slalom course. The event included 88 skiers scheduled to compete for a medal. Many athletes were eliminated or disqualified by the first run of the two timed runs used to select medal contenders. The slalom course was a challenge for any skier, but this event was open for the world to view, adding to the difficulty. Shiffrin's confidence and training provided the ability of the young athlete to meet the challenge of competing on the world stage and advance to a Gold medal.
A goal of five medals for the winter Olympics of 2018 makes the Colorado native, Mikaela Shiffrin, an athlete to watch in the years ahead. During an interview following the event, Shiffrin shared with USA Today her plans for the future and her goals for the Winter Games in 2018 to be held in South Korea. The award-winning athlete explains her goal of attaining medals in five events: downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom, and super combined. A medal in five skiing events may seem like an enormous task. Still, Mikaela Shiffrin appears to be focused and more than willing to commit to the conditioning required to make her dream into a fabulous reality.
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Written By
Sabrina Daniels