Americans Alysa Liu and Mikaela Shiffrin are the comeback queens of the U.S. Olympic team this week, both winning gold medals after fighting personal uphill battles.
Liu lept for joy on the podium after winning gold in the women’s free skate program in figure skating, ending a 24-year U.S. drought in the sport. It was a personal comeback for her, too, after she had walked away from the sport for two years due to burnout.
“Her story of taking a step back, mental health, I think it really attests to you never know what the journey to success is going to be,” said fellow U.S. skater Amber Glenn, who finished fifth.
Meanwhile, Mikaela Shiffrin’s eight-year Olympic alpine skiing medal drought is over. This week, she reflected on her late father, Jeff, who died at the age of 65 in an accident at the family home in Colorado in February 2020.
Her voice trembled as she said, “I still have so many moments where I resist this. I don’t want to be in life without my dad. And maybe today was the first time that I could actually accept this, like, reality.”
