After winning her first Olympic gold medal in the giant slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin prepared to raise up the American flag.
It was a moment she knew she knew she couldn’t take lightly, which is why the 22-year-old made sure everything went perfectly. Shiffrin explained on Twitter what exactly was going through her head the moment she was handed her country’s 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
She wrote:
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!!
And fans of the young Olympian thanked Shiffrin for showing the flag the respect it deserves:
Congratulations Mikaela!!! Great run! All your hard work is paying off! I can’t wait for today’s race! And thank you so much for respecting our flag! ??????
— Ron (@_Ron_H) February 15, 2018
Best tweet ever… don’t drag the flag around and walk on it… my best friend Bridget and I were screaming at the tv for your win. We are both Naval female officers that graduated from the Naval Academy and we love you that you focused on getting the flag part right ❤️
— Amanda Towey (@Islandlax12) February 15, 2018
Congrats on the Gold! I vote this pic(&commentary) for the next #SportsIllustrated cover. #RespectTheFlag! is important and you nailed that too?
— Corey (@StrykerAce007) February 15, 2018
You made me even more proud to be an American today when you were proudly singing our Anthem and enjoying your accomplishment! Congratulations and I pray for more for you. #GoConquer
— Eric Emory (@WheresMyTransAm) February 15, 2018
Great job representing our beautiful country! You lift our flag with such pride! Keep it up and good luck for the remainder the olympics. Well deserved #Olympics #skiing #USA ?⛷??
— Jack Blanco (@Jblanco98) February 15, 2018
Shiffrin’s praise comes after Olympic gold medalist Shaun White got some flack for being a bit rough with his flag after winning the falfpipe for the third time.
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