Skier Mikaela Shiffrin: 'I posed for men's magazine in ski jacket because I don't want to be objectified'

Mikaela Shiffrin is a three-time Olympic Games medallist. Photo / Getty Images

American double Olympic skiing champion Mikaela Shiffrin has revealed she decided to pose for a men's magazine in her ski jacket with gold medal because she wanted to be recognised for "sporting achievements rather than just appearance".

Shiffrin, a triple world slalom champion and youngest skier ever (male or female) to win 50 World Cup races, gained her place in Maxim's Hot 100 list after winning giant slalom gold and combined silver at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.

She appeared in the magazine last summer wearing her official United States skiing jacket and has now explained her decision.

"As many of you know, last summer I made the Maxim Hot 100 list. In the photo, I was wearing my jacket and my Olympic medals from PyeongChang... listed among a group of women wearing bikinis," said Shiffrin, 23.

"It was a conscious decision for me to show that - as a female athlete - you can be recognised for your sporting achievements rather than just your appearance.

As many of you know, last summer I made the Maxim Hot 100 list. In the photo, I was wearing my jacket and my Olympic medals from PyeongChang...listed among a group of women wearing bikinis... pic.twitter.com/biaEaWF3nx

— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 30, 2019

"I'm not really the prettiest girl out there, but I work hard to achieve my dreams. As a woman competing in sports it can often feel as though you are not recognised by your performance, but rather by your looks; whereas for men, "looks" are not the focus of the conversation.

"For me, it's a good feeling to look nice, but it's not the focus. I'm one of the fastest out there and I'm proud of my accomplishments in this sport, and that's what I'd like people to recognize.

"The Maxim Hot 100 was so awesome to me because it made a statement about not objectifying me because of my gender or appearance, but focusing on my accomplishments in skiing."

Shiffrin currently sits top of the World Cup slalom, giant slalom, super G and overall standings.