Mikaela Shiffrin’s Vulnerability Fueled Record-Breaking Season

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Mikaela Shiffrin, 31, continues to redefine dominance in alpine skiing. The most decorated skier in history—with four Olympic golds, 18 Crystal Globes, and six World Cup titles—she recently concluded the 2025-2026 season with a record-breaking nine slalom wins out of ten races. This adds to her already staggering career stats of 110 World Cup victories and 168 World Cup finishes.

But maintaining such success comes with intense pressure, and Shiffrin reveals that embracing vulnerability was key to navigating it. Despite her experience—this was her third Olympic Games—she found external expectations still weighed heavily on her. “You can never really prepare for the sort of external narratives that are shared around you,” she told Women’s Health.

The Burden of Greatness: Shiffrin acknowledges that being at the top means carrying the weight of not only her own ambitions but also the hopes of fans who may only witness her compete once every four years. This pressure led to moments of self-doubt, like when she questioned how to share her story authentically without being consumed by outside noise.

To address this, she took a calculated risk: integrating a psychologist into her core team alongside coaches and staff. “My hope was that it would help us to be really aligned and really unified,” Shiffrin explained. The move proved successful, fostering a sense of cohesion that allowed her to compartmentalize and perform at her best.

Opening Up for Unity: Shiffrin admits that being vulnerable with her team was initially frightening. “Do my coaches really want to hear the inner workings of my heart?” she wondered. However, the transparency ultimately created stronger bonds and allowed her to navigate challenges more effectively. She found that sharing her mental state, especially during setbacks, was crucial for feeling connected and supported.

Shiffrin also emphasizes the supportive environment within the sport itself. “In ski racing, it really is like a family,” she says, highlighting the positive camaraderie among competitors. This sense of unity helps her to filter out external pressures and focus on performance.

Unexpected Rituals: Alongside mental training, Shiffrin employs unconventional pre-race habits. She’s adopted a practice of eating one or two sour gummies before races, based on a tip from her physical therapist that sour flavors can disrupt anxiety cycles.

The Relief of Finishing: The greatest reward for Shiffrin remains crossing the finish line. After suffering injuries in the past—including a puncture wound to her abdomen during a crash in November 2024—she now views completing a race as a victory in itself. “Every single time that I’ve crossed the finish line is like, ‘Woo! We made it. We’re here. All of me is here,’” she says.

Shiffrin’s success isn’t solely about physical prowess; it’s about the willingness to confront internal struggles and forge deeper connections with her team and competitors, making vulnerability a strategic advantage.