Shiffrin Nominated As Team USA Female Athlete Of The Year
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee announced the 30 finalists for the 2019 Team USA Awards, Best of the Year, which recognize the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes year-round on Monday. Double Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin is nominated for the Female Olympic Athlete of the Year. Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, Oct. 28.
The Team USA Awards honor athletes and teams of the year in six categories:
- Female Olympic Athlete of the Year
- Male Olympic Athlete of the Year
- Olympic Team of the Year, presented by Dow
- Female Paralympic Athlete of the Year
- Male Paralympic Athlete of the Year
- Paralympic Team of the Year, presented by Dow
Athletes and teams considered for Best of the Year were finalists for Best of the Month honors, dating back to the fall of 2018 and coinciding with the sport calendar. A USOPC nominating committee then selected the top-five finalists in the individual and team categories to advance to the voting round.
Mikaela is in good company, nominated alongside powerhouse athletes like record-breaking gymnast Simone Biles. her nomination comes following the best season of her career, having podiumed in 21 of 26 world cup races and earned 17 victories – the most by any skier in a single season – to improve her career total to 60 world cup wins and become the first athlete – male or female – in the history of the sport to win all six alpine disciplines. She finished her season by claiming four of five crystal globes as world cup season champion, and winning three medals (two golds and one bronze) at the world championships, becoming the first skier in history to win four consecutive world titles in the same event with her slalom title.
Online fan voting at TeamUSA.org/Awards accounts for 50 percent of the final tally, while members of the Olympic and Paralympic community – including an esteemed panel of Olympic and Paralympic journalists – account for the other 50 percent.
The six award winners will be announced during the 2019 Team USA Awards, Best of the Year, held on Nov. 19 at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. NBC will provide coverage of the awards show from 3-4 p.m. ET on Dec. 22.
Mikaela is now in Austria prepping for the FIS Ski World Cup opener in Soelden, Austria on October 26.
