CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Mikaela Shiffrin didn’t need this Olympic gold medal.
Her legacy was secured long ago, between her other two Olympic golds, her World Cup wins record and all the other superlatives she’s achieved. But that’s never been good enough for the peanut gallery, which tunes in every four years and doesn’t understand why Shiffrin can’t just conjure gold medals out of snow.
Ski racing is hard. Really, really hard. Get a couple of inches off your line and you’re toast. Or worse. Get a course or a hill that doesn’t suit your style and it’s just not going to be your day.
But the Winter Olympics is the only measuring stick for some folks and, in their minds, Shiffrin hasn’t measured up.
Maybe now they’ll finally get off her back.
