Olympic star Shiffrin: Loss of father ‘still pretty painful’
By PAT GRAHAM and HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Sports Writers
Star ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin is preparing for her first Olympics since her father suddenly passed away two years ago. The two-time Winter Games gold medalist doesn’t know exactly how she’s going to feel when she steps into the starting gate or crosses the finish line in China. The memories of her father can hit the 26-year-old from Colorado at any time. Sometimes they bring a smile to her face. Sometimes they bring tears. Shiffrin is expected to be one of the protagonists of the Beijing Olympics that open on Feb. 4 and hopes to enter all five individual events in Alpine skiing.