US alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin knows well what it means to be an Olympian.
She has taken part in every Winter edition of the Games since Sochi 2014, collecting three medals along the way, including two golds.
However, coming to Paris 2024 as a fan felt like a different and closer experience: “I’m mostly watching events, cheering on Team USA. One of the reasons I was interested in coming is to get in touch with this Olympic vibe that’s a bit different from our normal competitions,” the 29-year-old told Olympics.com in our studio in Trocadero, Paris.
Shiffrin then added: “Even though it’s summer, it’s still the organisation around it, the magnitude of the event, the kind of feeling you get. You look around, and there’s this kind of blue or purple colour everywhere. And all of these things are just different, like it’s a different stimulus for your senses, kind of. And I find that to be the thing that feels the strangest when I go to compete in the Olympics myself. So this is like a touch base with that, a little bit closer to when I compete, you know, every four years.”
Shiffrin: I’m a big fan of athletes competing at their highest levels
The most successful skier in World Cup history enjoyed being a Team USA superfan, witnessing several compatriots triumph across different sports. She had the chance to closely celebrate Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s world-record-breaking performance in the 400m hurdles on the athletics track at Stade de France, and watch from the stands as the USA women’s teams won gold in both football and basketball.
“I am such a big fan of athletes competing at their highest level. And I feel like this Olympics is showing all of these different, incredible moments. You just have to take a step back, sit down, and appreciate it,” Shiffrin said, also mentioning the achievements of Paris 2024 gold medallists Katie Ledecky and Gabby Thomas.
The Colorado-born skier met several athletes who had just finished their competitions, such as Olympic K1 and C1 canoeing champion Jessica Fox and American fencer Miles Chamley-Watson. She watched athletics events alongside British cycling star Mark Cavendish.
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However, the highlight of her Paris 2024 adventure is likely to be when she finally caught up in person with seven-time Olympic champion Simone Biles after years of messaging each other on social media. “I love watching gymnastics. I think that’s been incredible. I loved watching Simone. Jordan (Chiles), Suni (Lee)… Yeah. All of our girls competing. That’s so impressive to me,” Shiffrin said.
