Profiles in Time: Skier Mikaela Shiffrin

Alpine Skier Mikaela Shiffrin

We’re just about halfway through the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The U.S. has already picked up some hardware, and we can’t wait to see who else wins big this year. However, we still can’t help but have watches on the brain. Alpine skier Lindsey Vonn isn’t the only athlete from Team USA sporting a fine timepiece when she’s not hitting the slopes. Rising star skier Mikaela Shiffrin joined Longines ranks of Ambassadors with Elegance back in 2014. Now, she’s back to compete in her second Winter Olympic games.

The Early Years

Shiffrin was born into the heart of skiing, Vail, Colorado. Both of her parents were competitive skiers. By age three, she was hitting the slopes to follow in their footsteps. At the young age of eight, Shiffrin’s family relocated to New Hampshire. So, she continued her training in Vermont. Unlike most aspiring skiers, Shiffrin’s training focused on honing her technique by running drills as opposed to competing as much as possible. By the time she was just fifteen years old, her unconventional approach to the sport paid off.

At the 2010 Trofeo Topolino competition in Italy, Shiffrin won the slalom event. This made her the first American girl to score at the prestigious junior event since Lindsey Vonn in 1999. Later that year, Shiffrin went on to secure another victory in a combined event at the North American Cup and a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships.

After winning the slalom event at the U.S. National Championships in 2011, Shriffin decided to dedicate her life to the sport. She joined the World Cup competition full time and toured throughout Europe for the next year. She earned a bronze medal in the slalom event and was named rookie of the year. Shiffrin was just getting started. In 2012, she defended her slalom title at the U.S. National Championships and won three World Cup slalom events that season. The following year, she won the gold medal at the World Championships and became the youngest woman in 39 years to claim the overall slalom title.

Olympic Games and Longines

In 2014, Shiffrin competed in her first Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. She took home the gold medal in women’s slalom and became the youngest winner in Olympic history for the category. She was also the first American to win the event in 42 years.

Later that year, Shiffrin scored a partnership with Longines as one of their Ambassadors of Elegance. The pairing came as no surprise after Shiffrin had won the Longines Rising Ski Stars prize in both 2012 and 2013. Shiffrin’s watch of choice is the Conquest Classic. Although it’s part of one of the brand’s more modern collections, it has a very classic style. The model comes in an array of design options. Most often, Shiffrin opts for an ultra-feminine stainless steel variation with a diamond bezel. However, she also has a chronograph version.

This year, Shiffrin has been eagerly waiting to defend her slalom title at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Weather delays repeatedly pushed back the event. But once the event finally got underway, she proved victorious yet again and claimed the gold.