00:00Third time's the charm. In her last attempt to medal at the Milan-Cortina Games,
00:04Michaela Schifrin finally grabbed some hardware, winning gold in her signature slalom race
00:09with a dominant time of 1 minute and 39.10 seconds. In slalom, racers take two runs and
00:15the times are combined to determine the final results, and Schifrin only bested her leading
00:20first run. Coming into the finish, she squatted down with her head between her knees in relief
00:25after she finally got some Olympic redemption. She later shed tears as she waved to the crowd
00:30and ran to hug her mom. Aw, Olympic athletes, they're just like us. After the event, Michaela
00:37told NBC, the skiing is what I cared about, and of course, medal and win gold. I mean,
00:43that's a dream come true. But at some point this week, I just said, like, stop dreaming,
00:48just ski. I'm so happy to be able to do the right thing in the right moment. The 30-year
00:52-old
00:53nailed her most important run of her Olympic legacy, winning by the largest margin, 1.5
00:58seconds, in any Olympic alpine skiing event since 1998. She also now holds the most Olympic
01:04gold medals of any U.S. alpine skier, and is both the youngest and oldest American woman
01:09to ever win alpine gold. She first claimed it at 18 years old in 2014. Michaela took to
01:15social media to reflect on the moment, writing,
01:18I got there in the face of fear and adrenaline and the potential for criticism and backlash
01:23from people who know nothing and don't even try to understand. I stood in the start gate
01:28and looked out at the mountain and the course ahead, and my heartbeat nearly fell out of my
01:33butt. Still, when the countdown started, I pushed. I pushed to chase. I pushed to earn.
01:39I pushed to dare and to dream. I pushed to believe.
01:42The gold medalist lost her father, Jeff, in February 2020, after he fell off the roof of
01:47their home in a freak accident while Michaela and her mom were in Europe. In a press conference
01:52after her win, she reflected on her loss, saying,
01:55Everything in life that you do after you lose someone you love is like a new experience.
02:00It's like being born again, and I still have so many moments where I resist this.
02:04I don't want to be in life without my dad.
02:06When asked if this was her storybook ending after enduring several Olympic disappointments
02:11and injuries, Schifrin said to NBC,
02:13I don't even think we're 5% of the way through the book.
02:16Despite an uphill battle back at the top, Michaela said,
02:20I question all that I've learned in life, multiple times this week.
02:24I question what kind of grit I have in my heart, and I wondered if I should be doing this
02:28at all.
02:29I question my toughness and tenacity. I questioned it all.
02:32And then I left those questions behind and stepped into the arena anyway.
02:36Fellow skier Lindsay Vaughn, who was facing her own adversity after injuring her leg at the Games,
02:41took to social media to celebrate her pal, writing,
02:44Huge congrats, Michaela Schifrin!
02:46Olympic great Simone Biles also celebrated the win, writing,
02:50Freakin' rock star! So proud of you!
02:52A golden moment for Michaela Schifrin.
Comments