Mikaela Shiffrin earns high marks in flag-holding
Mikaela Shiffrin has great form.
Yes, on skis but, as it turns out, she’s a great flag holder, too.
After capturing gold in the giant slalom late Wednesday night, Shiffrin held up the American flag to pose for pictures, as winning athletes do after most events. She tweeted out the image with a caption that sounded like she was reminding herself exactly how to hold the flag.
Stars in the right hand, stripes in the left.. make sure it’s right side up.. careful with the wind.. don’t drop it!.. Okay okay, all set.. cool.. now SMILE!!” 😄😄 #teamusa #WinterOlympics 📷gettyimages pic.twitter.com/JA62ESv6rn
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) February 15, 2018
Holding a flag doesn’t sound like rocket science, but it’s easier said than done with adrenaline still coursing through the body and a million camera flashes going off.
Shaun White garnered a bit of criticism for letting the flag drag across the snow after his gold medal victory in the halfpipe. He eventually apologized, noting that a flag flies high above his home and that any percieved disrespect was not intentional. It is considered a breach of etiquette by some to allow the flag to touch the ground.
Perhaps Shiffrin saw what happened to White and got a little extra nervous. It seemed like she had the process down pretty well, though.
