Winter Olympics 2022 - Mikaela Shiffrin admits Games is a 'pretty stressful and uncomfortable' experience

Mikaela Shiffrin admits racing for a gold medal makes for a «pretty stressful and uncomfortable experience» and believes observers should be aware of the mental health challenges that come with putting pressure on an athlete to win. Shiffrin has three Olympic medals, three World Cup overall titles and six world championship golds, and will make her Beijing debut on Monday in the women's giant slalom. Ad/> The double Olympic champion will be looking to defend her giant slalom title won at PyeongChang 2018, and although she acknowledges moments of glory make it «worth it» there is a mental toll that comes with the pressure to deliver a result.

Cortina d'AmpezzoGoggia overcomes windy conditions to earn another downhill victory22/01/2022 AT 14:00 “It’s not like rainbows and sunshine and butterflies and everything that people sort of say,” Shiffrin told reporters. «They’re like, ‘Wow, that looks like it was so much fun!’ And you’re like, ‘Well, it was fun to cross through the finish line and, in the next five seconds, see the green light (signalling the fastest time) and comprehend that. »That was a fun thing.

And the rest of the day — the whole rest of the day — was really, really pretty stressful and uncomfortable.” /> Shiffrin points to gymnast Simone Biles at Tokyo 2020, who was expected to win gold but withdrew due to mental health struggles. The 26-year-old said: “It has to be gold or else that’s a huge disappointment. «It even went a step beyond that.

It wouldn’t have been a ‘disappointment;’ people just didn’t even consider it a possibility. And what I know from that kind of pressure is: It is not easy to win. Ever.” Beijing 2022 LIVE Shiffrin, Hanyu, Ledecka and more — seven global stars set to light up Beijing