Mikaela Shiffrinhas an accidental ritual when it comes to her events.
In an interview with NBCNightly News' Lester Holt, airing Friday night in full as part of the network’s ongoing Olympic coverage, skier Shiffrin talks about how she’s feeling when she’s at the top of a mountain, waiting for a race to start.
“Is there a mantra when you’re at the gate, ready to take off?” Holt asks in an exclusive preview of the interview.
Responds the 26-year-old, “I don’t have a specific routine. Sometimes I have a song stuck in my head. For a lot of last season, it was that children’s song ‘On Top of Spaghetti.’ "
“That’s as you’re at the gate?” questions Lester, to which Shiffrin responds, “Yeah,” before starting to sing, “On top of spaghetti.”
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“Like no, get out, get out, get out,” she laughs.
But where is “the fun” in it, Holt wonders? Says Shiffrin: “The fun in it is when I ski well, I make really good turns. That’s not a feeling you get doing anything else in life.”
Mikaela Shiffrin.Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images
In a recent interview withPEOPLE, Shiffrin spoke about the sudden death of her father in February 2020, and how she’s moved through her grief.
“It’s taken so long just to get to this point,“ShiffrintoldPEOPLE. “I’m not even close to being done grieving, but every day I feel that spark and motivation returning. It’s like healing from an injury. You get to the point where you can race again, but it still hurts sometimes.”
“I’ve learned you have to live your life and do the things you like and be who you are,” said Shiffrin. “I’m getting my fire back … With every day that passes, I’m able to put more energy back into skiing.”
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holtairs at 6:30 p.m. EST/5:30 p.m. CST on NBC.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Winter Olympics, beginning Feb 3, and the Paralympics, beginning March 4, on NBC.
source: people.com
