As she eyes up participating in all five Olympic alpine events, Mikaela Shiffrin has drawn comparisons to Michael Phelps and Lindsey Vonn but the skier is determined to make a name for herself at the Pyeongchang Games.
The 22-year-old from Vail, Colorado, who earned a gold medal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, will hit the slopes on Monday to compete in the giant slalom in South Korea.
Shiffrin’s mother, Eileen, who is one of her coaches, said it’s ingrained in people to compare her daughter to Vonn, 33, due to their achievements, blonde hair and the fact they both hail from Colorado.
Eileen said: ‘Mikaela, right from the get-go, always said: ‘I’m not Lindsey. I’m not The Next Lindsey Vonn; I’m Mikaela Shiffrin. That’s who I am. That’s who I want to be. I don’t want to be Lindsey Vonn. And I don’t want to … follow in her footsteps. Or any of those things. We’re not even doing the same events, for Pete’s sake. So I’m not The Next Lindsey Vonn.”
Mikaela told media at her press conference Saturday that she is flattered to be compared to Michael Phelps
Mikaela Shiffrin (r), posed with Lindsey Vonn (l) in 2015, but she does NOT want to be compared to her fellow skier
The 22 year old skier, seen here competing in Switzerland in January, could set records in Pyeongchang
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association CEO Tiger Shaw added: ‘The regard they have for each other is extraordinary. Lindsey is such an incredible, achieved athlete, and Mikaela looks at her that way, in awe of her. And at the same time, Lindsey is clearly in awe of Mikaela’s accomplishments, as is the entire world, of course.
‘You have two of the most powerful women in the athletic world, and they’re both battling for their own goals, and they both want to achieve as many medals as possible in these Olympics.’
In the World Cup, their sport’s annual measuring stick, Vonn, 33, owns four overall titles; Shiffrin, who turns 23 in March, is on pace for her second. Vonn has won 81 World Cup races, a record for a woman and second most for anyone in history; Shiffrin is halfway there.
Each claimed an Olympic gold medal in her specialty: Vonn in the downhill in 2010; Shiffrin in the slalom in 2014, when Vonn was out after right knee surgery.
Shiffrin seems to have racing in her blood. Her dad raced at Dartmouth, her mom in high school. Mikaela made her World Cup debut at 15, she started breaking records immediately.
Now, even before she hit the slopes, she is drawing comparisons to another Olympian, Michael Phelps as it has been touted that she could competein all five Alpine events – the slalom, giant slalom, downhill, super-G and combined – and win a lot of gold.
She confirmed Saturday that it is a possibility, but that she would see how she feels after the first two events which are back to back on Monday and Tuesday.
When asked about whether she thought she could win as many medals as Phelps at the Saturday press conference, she said: ‘You’re crazy.’
‘I could never imagine myself being in the same sentence as Michael Phelps. It’s extremely flattering but it’s apples and oranges.’
She went on to explain that she felt it was mathematically impossible for her to catch up with his 23 Olympic Gold medals, but she’ll take the comparison as a compliment.
Mikaela was 18 when she won gold in Sochi, seen left. She was the youngest gold medalist in her sport. Pictured right, Michael Phelps holds one of his 28 medals at the 2016 Games
Shiffrin was the youngest gold medalist in the slalom when she won at Sochi in 2014, at the time she gave NBC’s Today show some insights into what makes her tick, what scares her, and how she trains.
When asked what she eats, she said: ‘I love carbs, including pasta, in moderation. That’s the bulk of what fuels you. I usually do some pasta, with chicken and a veggie salad to get some vitamins in there.’
Though Shiffrin, who is a spokesperson for Barilla pasta, was quick to point out that a heavy, calorie-laden dish will not fuel an Olympian.
And while the gold medalist’s wins are all about skill, and very little about luck, she said that her go-to workout song is Get Lucky by Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams.
Mikaela posted a picture with boyfriend, French skier Mathieu Faivre, noting they had ’16 hours together’
Faivre is also a skier, seen above during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Men’s Giant Slalom on January 28 in Germany
And in other prep for hitting the slopes, Shiffrin reveals she has to battle blotchy skin.
She told Today: ‘I literally spend 30 minutes in the bathroom every morning. My biggest issue is skin tone – to have solid skin tone. After spending all day on the hill, it can be really splotchy and red. I use CoverGirl CC cream, a little bit of eye liner and eye shadow. I never thought makeup had a place in athletics, but now I do. I realize a certain amount to look my best is OK.’
The skier, who’s helmet has the acronym ABFTTB (Always Be Faster Than The Boys), dates French skier Mathieu Faivre.
The two have carried on a long distance romance – he’s in France, she’s in Colorado – since last summer.
In a profile in the New Yorker, Schiffrin was quoted saying: ‘I don’t know if this is a smart thing to do long distance.’
According to that article, when Faivre visits Shiffrin in Colorado, he stays in a nearby hotel because she still lives at home with her parents.
She has shared sweet snaps of the pair together to her Instagram.
Faivre is also an Olympian, he skied representing France in Sochi in 2014 but he is not skiing in Pyeongchang.
Lindsey Vonn, left, and Mikaela Shiffrin, right, shared the podium for the first time in Italy in January. Sofia Goggia of Italy, center, took 1st place, Vonn 2nd and Shiffrin 3rd