Mikaela Shiffrin is done with the media after a rough start to the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Shiffrin entered the Beijing Games as one of the gold medal favorites in alpine skiing, but she crashed out of the giant slalom and slalom events early in her first runs.
“Mikaela [nor her mother/coach Eileen] will not be doing any media for the foreseeable future. Thank you for respecting her/their space right now,” a United States Olympic spokesperson told Reuters.
NBC has come under fire for their coverage of Shiffrin’s struggles, which included a teary-eyed interview and zooming in on the 26-year-old after her early crash.
The cameras staying on Mikaela Shiffrin for this long after the media putting extensive pressure on her prior to the games shows they didn’t learn shit from Simone Biles
— David Rotenberg (@ACW00DY) February 9, 2022
@NBCSports has learned nothing from their treatment of Simone Biles, judging by their comments about Mikaela Shiffrin. Sending love and positivity! #MentalHealthMatters #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/YKwZykhLai
— Red.Rocks.n.Beaches (@ScienceShark) February 9, 2022
Shiffrin admitted Wednesday’s slalom performance “makes me second-guess the last 15 years. … Just processing a lot for sure, and I feel really bad.”
Following the run, Shiffrin fielded questions for 45-minutes and that will be the end of her media availability in Beijing.
As for a return to the slopes, Shiffrin is set to compete Friday in the Super-G.
