MIKAELA SHIFFRIN is an alpine ski queen.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist, 27, is one of the most accomplished athletes of all time.
7
7
7
7
In addition to her success at the Winter Olympics, Shiffrin has racked up an incredible 82 World Cup victories.
Born in Colorado, she has been breaking records since she was young and is a four-time World Cup overall winner.
Born in Vail in 1995, Mikaela is the daughter of Eileen and Jeff – both former ski racers.
Shiffrin was on skis shortly after she learned to walk and was a natural on the slopes.
The family moved between Colorado and New Hampshire while Shiffrin was growing up, and her older brother, Taylor, attended ski school in Vermont.
At the age of 14, Mikaela was already winning competitions abroad.
She made her World Cup debut in March 2011, just two days before her 16th birthday.
And just weeks later, she became the youngest American alpine skier to ever win a national alpine crown.
An all-round talent, Mikaela has won medals in slalom, giant slalom, downhill, Super-G, combined and parallel events.
Off the slopes, she’s garnered a massive online following thanks to her down-to-earth approach to fame.
The Sochi 2014 gold medalist boasts 1.1 million followers on Instagram.
And her loyal fans are always there to support the skiing star, who has spoken out about her mental health issues in recent years.
One recently wrote: “You are the queen of the slopes”.
While another added: “[You are] lovely. Always a feast for the eyes”.
Mikaela admits she struggled with the sudden death of her father after a fall at home in February 2020.
She told ELLE in July: “Everyone has those tough days when it’s hard to stay positive and you just have to sit down and cry.
“Except that it all became a very public thing for me.
“I’m a different person than I was and I didn’t want to hide my feelings anymore.”
Shiffrin is currently in a relationship with Danish skier Alexsander Aarmodt Kilde and the 2020 World Cup winner has helped her through a difficult time.
He revealed: “We have good conversations and are there for each other.
“We support each other on good days and bad, like couples do, like partners do for each other.”
The couple first met over seven years ago – and Mikaela revealed she initially turned down his advances.
Shiffrin told Reuters: “We met about seven years ago and I think he started the conversation by saying ‘Hi’.
“He also sent the first friend request. He technically asked me out later that year, but I kind of turned him down.
“I thought I was cute but he seems to have taken it as a rejection.”
The couple finally embarked on their love story in mid-2021 and officially became Instagram in June of this year.
Mikaela wrote, “If you know, you know… and now you know.”
Shiffrin recently secured her 82nd World Cup victory in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.
Her performance equaled the women’s record for World Cup skiing wins and drew her alongside the all-time great Lindsey Vonn.
7
7
7
