Like Simone Biles before her, Mikaela Shiffrin reminds us that medals aren’t everything

«I have had a lot of disappointing moments at these Games. Today is not one of them. »Today is my favourite memory.

Ad/> «This was the best possible way that I could imagine ending the Games, skiing with such strong teammates.» Beijing 2022'Today is my favourite memory' — Shiffrin 'not disappointed' despite missing out on medal20/02/2022 AT 05:03 Why do we participate in sport? It’s a fairly philosophical question to begin with but it’s one worth keeping in mind if you are someone who reads this. Sport is an extraordinary phenomenon. It has the ability to thrill and unite people from all over the world.

The euphoria and ecstasy that sport can provide is like no other. Curling saved Team GB’s blushes, but UK Sport must decide whether to stick or twist Golden Gu, Norse gods, Super Schulting, Canada's 'Captain Clutch' — The icons of Beijing 2022 Surviving cancer and car crashes — the most inspirational stories of Beijing 2022 But what goes up must always come down. The lows of sport can be brutal, more so when you consider for so many spectators it is a form of escapism from the increasingly difficult realities we face day to day.

For the athletes and those who support them it is slightly different. For them this is their livelihood as well as their passion. We may all start from the same place but our destinations are different to theirs.

Which is why the above set of quotes resonated so much on the final day of the 2022 Winter Olympics. They are from American skier Mikaela Shiffrin, who has become one of the faces of the games. That in of itself is no surprise.