It is Wednesday evening at rush hour and Mikaela Shiffrin, perhaps the most dominant athlete in the world, strolled unobserved through a crowded Central Park. Since she is obscured by a helmet and reflective goggles while competing in a sport mostly contested in Europe, it could be a given that she would not draw much attention during a casual walkabout in her native country. But that may soon change. With Lindsey Vonn’s retirement last month, Shiffrin, at 24, is the unquestioned face of American ski racing. Moreover, her ever-escalating, dazzling accomplishments are becoming so outrageous, she has a chance to enlarge the crossover celebrity status that Vonn achieved.

Source: New York Times March 22, 2019 15:11 UTC