At least Mikaela Shiffrin’s media boycott lasted longer than her first two races. 

The star American skier finally finished a race at the Beijing Olympics — and spoke to NBC just hours after saying she would forgo interviews for the foreseeable future. She was well outside medal contention, finishing in ninth place, but for Shiffrin, the goal was mainly just to get down the hill. She’ll compete in the combined and team events as well. 

“I was trying to ski smooth and just really good, solid turns and trying to be in my tuck as much as possible,” Shiffrin said on NBC. “I think I had a really good plan, and the course ran similar to how I thought. 

Switzerland’s Lara Gut-Behrami won gold with a 1:13.51. Austria’s Mirjam Puchner and Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin also finished on the podium with silver and bronze, respectively. 

Shiffrin, who finished with a 1:14.30, wasn’t a favorite for gold in the Super-G even before skiing out twice earlier this week. Disastrous results in the slalom and giant slalom set off a media firestorm and caused Shiffrin to question whether it was worthwhile to even race in the Super-G before resolving to go on. 

She closed her eyes and swung her arms before putting her goggles on, nerves emanating. She got to the top of the hill and took a deep breath. Then another. Then another. She clapped her poles together. Then she did what she hadn’t yet done in these Olympics: got down the hill. 

“I don’t feel like I deserved it,” she said of the support she’s received. “It’s been insane how much, how many people have reached out and just trying to cheer me up. And every time someone sends a message, I’m just thinking, you don’t have to waste your time on me ’cause I’m gonna be fine. I’ve had Olympic medals, and I’ve had great success and a lot of triumphant moments, plenty to be happy about over the last few years. 

“Right now, it really stings, and I feel disappointed from the GS and the slalom race. That disappointment is huge, and I know a lot of people felt it, and I feel bad for letting myself down, or letting down the world, and mostly I feel bad ’cause I wanted to ski the full track and ski well.” 

Shiffrin added that making it through the course proved to herself that she can trust her instincts. “That’s really, really huge,” she said. 

So, yes, Friday morning wasn’t her best — when she finished, it was in eighth place, and as more skiers went, she fell further. At this point, though, for Shiffrin, it was about beating the yips, getting down the hill. This was back to square one. 

She checked that box. And that in itself had been anything but a guarantee. 

She came into Beijing attempting to become the first American Alpine skier to win a third career gold medal, having placed first in the giant slalom in Pyeongchang four years ago. 

But these Olympics instead started off with a nightmare for Shiffrin, who has already experienced extreme adversity over the last two years. Her father, Jeff, died in February 2020 — a loss Shiffrin has spoken about openly — deeply affecting her psyche. She’s also dealt with a back injury and a positive COVID-19 test two months ago. 

She figured to be competitive in the Super-G, an event in which she didn’t compete in the 2018 Olympics, having won bronze in the 2021 world championships and gold in 2019 for the event. 

But by Friday morning in Yanqing, the bar had lowered. It was clear midway through Shiffrin’s run that she wouldn’t be in medal contention. But it was clear long before that she didn’t need to be.