Shiffrin & Kilde, ski racing’s power couple, help each other

By HOWARD FENDRICH and PAT GRAHAM
AP Sports Writers

BEIJING (AP) — American ski racing standout Mikaela Shiffrin and boyfriend Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway are two elite athletes in the same sport who prop each other up and help each other out. They attend each other’s races. They offer each other tips. As it just so happens, Valentine’s Day falls this week during the Olympics. They are hardly the only such pairing in skiing or other Olympic sports. They are couples who understand each other’s time constraints and demands, whether it has to do with training or competition or even doping tests and media obligations.