Simone Biles can relate to the pressure and scrutiny Mikaela Shiffrin is facing during these Winter Olympics and is offering her support.
In an Instagram post Thursday, Shiffrin shared a powerful message about overcoming the online hate she has been subjected to throughout the Beijing Games as she’s struggled through her events.
Shiffrin, who is largely considered one of the world’s best skiers at just 26-years-old, clapped back at critics in the long message.
“Well kids … feed ’em what you wanna feed em, self pity, sadness … let the turkeys get you down. There will always be turkeys or get up, again, again, again, again, again, again, again,” she wrote.
“Get up because you can, because you like what you do when it’s not infested with the people who have so much apparent hate for you. Just get up. It is not always easy, but it is also not the end of the world to fail. Fail twice. Fail 5 times. At the Olympics.”
She added, “I come back because those first 9 turns today were spectacular, really heaven, that’s where I am meant to be.”
The post included several other slides featuring text revealing the negative comments Shiffrin has received from internet trolls.
Some of the harsh words the athlete shared read, “Your time is over, retire,” and “Didn’t get all the medals and now she is going insane.” She also shared things she has been called that include a “narcissist,” “choker,” and “dumb blonde.”
Simone Biles, 24, offered her support in the comment section of Shiffrin’s Thursday post, noting she can relate to the experience.
The gymnast who suffered a disorienting condition called the twisties and withdrew from several events during last summer’s Tokyo Games also cheered on her Olympic pal as Shiffrin prepares to compete in the final alpine race of the Olympics on Saturday.
