Mikaela Shiffrin isn’t just dazzling on the slopes—she’s turning heads off them, too.
The U.S. Olympic skiing star recently shared a striking photo that left fans amazed, showing off what appeared to be a six-pack.
But here’s the twist: it’s not her abs—it’s her incredibly toned back muscles.
The 30-year-old World Cup champion posted a video of herself lying face down on a lounger, her top rolled up high to reveal her bare back.
As she flexed, small bulges rippled along her spine, mimicking the look of a classic six-pack and highlighting the sheer strength of her upper body.
Strength Behind the Glory
Despite her seemingly flawless physique, Shiffrin told Women’s Health magazine that her back can often feel tense.
She explained, “I try to keep my entire spine, segment by segment, as mobile and free as possible so that I can distribute the load across the entire spine and it is not concentrated in one area.”
Clearly, even the strongest athletes have to work hard to maintain balance and flexibility.
Eye on the 2026 Winter Olympics
Shiffrin is gearing up for the Winter Olympics, which kick off Friday evening with a grand opening ceremony at Milan’s San Siro Stadium.
The alpine events for women will be held in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she is scheduled to compete in the Giant Slalom on February 15 and the Slalom on February 18.
Before that, the combined event is set for February 10—a discipline in which Shiffrin and teammate Breezy Johnson clinched the World Championship title in Saalbach-Hinterglemm in 2025.
A Storied Olympic Career
The Colorado-born skier made her Olympic debut in Sochi 2014, becoming the youngest slalom champion in history.
She followed that up with a gold in the Giant Slalom and a silver in the individual combined at PyeongChang 2018.
At Beijing 2022, she competed in all six alpine events but failed to finish two, leaving the Games without a medal.
In Cortina, Shiffrin previously celebrated her first World Cup Super-G win in 2019 and brought home three medals—including gold in the combined—at the 2021 World Championships.
Overcoming Setbacks
Shiffrin’s road hasn’t been without hurdles.
In November 2024, she crashed during a downhill event in Vermont while chasing her 100th World Cup win.
The accident left her stretchered off the slopes with a five-centimeter puncture wound near her hip, narrowly missing her colon by just one millimeter.
Earlier in January 2024, she also suffered a sprained MCL and tibiofibular ligament in her left knee during another downhill crash.
Although she returned two months later, these injuries limited her to training only for Slalom events for the remainder of that season.
What’s Next for Shiffrin
While Shiffrin hasn’t shared her complete schedule for the 2026 Winter Olympics, she is expected to compete in three disciplines, making her Olympic debut in the team event alongside Breezy Johnson.
If she wins medals in all three, she would tie with Janica Kostelić and Anja Pärson as the most decorated female alpine skier in Olympic history, with six medals.
Fans are eagerly watching to see if Shiffrin can add to her legendary career—and whether her incredible back muscles are the least of her surprises this season.
