Despite their very different sports, Mikaela Shiffrin and Simone Biles understand each other’s experiences better than almost anyone else.
Biles was a guest on Shiffrin’s “What’s the Point” podcast released Friday, and the two talked about relating to the other’s very public struggles at the Olympics. Though the two did not meet until the Paris Games in 2024, Shiffrin reached out to show her support after Biles developed the “twisties” at the Tokyo Games.
Unable to tell where she was in the air, Biles pulled out midway through the team competition and missed four individual events before returning for balance beam, where she won a bronze medal.
‘It was really powerful to see you stand there, shoulders tall, head high, cheering on your own teammates, being there to be such a supportive force when you couldn’t get on the mat yourself. And then to still be able to compete and perform, as well,’ Shiffrin said. ‘I thought that opened the door for a lot of possibility for athletes.’
After the Beijing Games went sideways for Shiffrin a few months later, it was Biles’ turn to offer her support. Normally as consistent as a metronome, Shiffrin posted DNFs in the slalom, giant slalom and combined races.
“I’m just watching and I was like, `No, it’s happening.’ I just wanted to cry,” Biles said. “For you to reach out and now it’s happening to you … I’m like, I see me in her, and I know exactly how she is feeling.”
Which made it all the more gratifying to see Biles dominate in Paris, Shiffrin said. Biles won three golds and a silver, and became the first woman since 1968 to win a second Olympic all-around title.
“I felt like when I walked into the restaurant and saw you there, and your sister and your mom were there, you were so just free. It made me feel lighter,” Shiffrin said, referring to when she and Biles met in Paris.
During the hour-long episode, Biles and Shiffrin discussed the differences in their sports and the similarities in their successes. Biles is the most-decorated gymnast, male or female, and has seven Olympic gold medals. Shiffrin has more World Cup wins than any other skier, male or female, and has two golds from her first three Olympics.
Both have been described as the GOAT — a label each understands even if they aren’t certain it applies.
“The stats are there and it’s on paper … but there have been so many greats that have set us up,” Biles said. “We’re just athletes doing what we love. I don’t know if it’s the same for you, but if you asked me how many medals I have, I don’t know! The stats — that’s for a lot of other people.
“But I do know the work that I’ve put in to get where I am at, and I do recognize how I’ve pushed the sport forward. I hope you feel the same.”