CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 7 (Reuters) - U.S. Alpine skier and hot gold medal favourite Mikaela Shiffrin spoke up for diversity and inclusion on Saturday and said she hoped to promote her values at the Milano Cortina Olympics.
Arriving at her fourth Games, the most successful World Cup Alpine skier of all time said she was just as excited as the first time around.
"It's always an honour and a privilege to represent Team USA and to represent your country," she told a news conference when asked by a reporter how it felt to be representing the United States "given what's happening there".
The query chimed with more pointed questions faced by other U.S. athletes at the Games over President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration. Trump's Vice President, JD Vance, drew a smattering of boos at Friday's opening ceremony in Milan. The host city has also seen protests against Trump's policies.
Shiffrin, 30, said she had written down some thoughts after hearing South African-born Hollywood actress Charlize Theron cite Nelson Mandela at the opening ceremony.
"Peace is not just the absence of conflict. Peace is the creation of an environment where we can all flourish," Theron had said in a speech inspiredby the late South African leader.
"Regardless of race, colour, creed, religion, gender, class, caste or any other social markers of difference."
Shiffrin said that for her "as this relates to the Olympics, I'm really hoping to show up and represent my values.
"Values of inclusivity, values of diversity and kindness and sharing.
"Tenacity, work ethic, showing up with my team every single day ... and the values that we bring and put out on the mountain and on the hill every single day."
The overall World Cup leader is the overwhelming favourite for slalom gold after winning seven of eight races in the discipline this season.
She is also a contender for a giant slalom medal, although third place in Spindleruv Mlyn last month was her first giant podium since a traumatic accident in the discipline in Vermont in November 2024.
Shiffrin confirmed she would be racing the team combined, giant slalom and slalom.
The American, giant slalom gold medallist in 2018, recognised that she had a way to go to become competitive again in the discipline.
"My baseline is good," she said. "There are turns where I still back off that I see the top, top women who have been consistently winning races, they drive harder, they push harder.
"We can talk about stretching the rubber band of your comfort zone, they stretch that rubber band more. So I don't really know where that puts me in the GS. I guess we'll find out pretty soon."
The giant slalom is scheduled for February 15, with the slalom on February 18.
At Beijing 2022 Shiffrin also arrived as a medal favourite and left empty-handed. She said she continued to assess what happened then but also put it into perspective.
"I would take Beijing any day over crashing in Killington and getting a puncture wound to the abdomen," she said.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by Mark Bendeich)
