The U.S. ski icon exuded pride and defiance after she ended her Olympic slump with gold.

Mikaela Shiffrin's fourth trip to the Olympics came with a golden ending. The skiing star won the slalom on the world's biggest stage for the first time in 12 years with a triumphant performance in Cortina.

Shiffrin was terrified of celebrating joy without her father. What would that moment be like? How bad will it hurt? When you lose someone so close to you, Shiffrin said after winning gold, “everything in life that you do … is like a new experience.