MERIBEL, France — Mikaela Shiffrin covered her mouth with her fluorescent orange mittens and collapsed to the snow, still breathing heavily as her body pulsated from the exertion of her gold-medal-winning run.
What a relief after a hectic week for the American skier.
Having endured a small protest aimed at her by environmentalists who mistakenly thought she was using a helicopter for training, Shiffrin’s team was thrown into disarray two days…