Down to business, social media blackout imposed
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea – For most 22-year-old Americans, it might seem like the ultimate sacrifice.
Mikaela Shiffrin, the U.S. ski star who won a gold medal Thursday in the women’s giant slalom, has stayed off of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for the past two weeks.
Shiffrin indicated it has helped block out distractions tied to the expectations for her to win multiple medals in the Winter Olympics.
With a sheepish smile, she acknowledged her agent has handled the occasional posts on her accounts during her social media blackout.
“I haven’t been looking at what people are saying,” Shiffrin said. “I haven’t been watching (TV) really much. I watch in Korean, so that’s easy because I can’t understand anything.
“So I’ve really been away from that a bit, and that helps a lot. Because if I can’t see it then I don’t know what people are saying and it really feels like it is just me out there, and then I can just ski for myself.”
The comments and her gold medalwinning performance at Yongpyong Alpine Centre revealed the mental game at work.
Anxiety grew so intense for Shiffrin last winter that she began to work with a sports psychologist, and three days of weather delays tested her ability to stay calm.
During that unexpected time off,