Mikaela Shiffrin

“I wouldn't eat a 1,000-calorie bowl of spaghetti for dinner, but I've always loved pasta and think it's a good addition to any meal and a great base for pretty much any vegetable. It's also great when I have a nervous stomach before race day.”

“Some sports, you see some athletes just walking around the gym not really doing anything, eating food. They're first to the lunchroom, never lifting weights.”

“I've always said my expectations are higher than what anyone else could put on me.”

“During the season, one of the most important things to eat is the carbs. Protein's really important, too, but it's the carbs that are important because I have to consistently refuel for the next day.”

“After many of my victories, I hear people asking me these questions: 'What else is there to win?' And I want to shout, 'What do you mean, what else? There's so much else!'”

“Sometimes I feel surrounded by this dark cloud, and it feels like I can't breathe. It's nervousness and I don't know what else.”

“You have to have the brain to conceptualize technique and apply it to your body.”

“I've learned some quick tricks about how to fix my hair so I can dash somewhere unexpected and still be O.K. when someone stops me to take a picture.”

“I haven't had to make a decision between 'my brand' and money. Everybody seems to get what I'm going for: the healthy lifestyle, staying active, being young and youthful.”

“The harsh cold and windburn from hours of skiing does a lot of damage to my skin, so I try to keep my skin as moisturized as possible.”

“People watch the Olympics because they want to believe in heroes; I know I did.”

“When you have two races in a row, it's really important to keep that mental energy stable.”

“You can't ever make the perfect run, but you can make the best run, and then you clock the fastest time, and that's a win.”

“I always practice, even on the cat tracks or in those interstitial periods. My dad says, 'Even when you're just stopping, be sure to do it right, maintaining a good position, with counter-rotational force.' These are the kinds of things my dad says, and I'm like, 'Shut up.'”

“I'm not really seeing pressure as a negative.”

“I just try to be as nice as possible and make fun of myself and laugh at the jokes.”

“My parents strapped a pair of plastic skis on my boots when I was two years old and sent me down our driveway in Vail. Of course, they were holding on to me the whole time, but that was my first experience 'skiing.'”

“I've had a lot of people tell me, 'Yeah, sure, you're good at slalom, but wait till you get to the real events like downhill or super-G.' I don't like hearing that.”

“I think it's good to stimulate your mind.”

“I do doubles on Monday and Thursday, take Wednesday off or do easy cardio, do doubles on Thursday and Friday, and the weekend I just get outside and get active - jog or bike ride, or play tennis with my mom.”