SUMMARY
- Mikaela Shiffrin wins her first Olympic slalom gold since 2014, completing a time of 1:39.10.
- The victory comes amid personal grief, honoring her father who passed away in 2020.
- Shiffrin becomes the first US skier to win three Olympic gold medals, totaling six medals overall.
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated skier in history, won her first Olympic gold medal in slalom since 2014, capturing the top podium at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games.
The American skier finished with a combined time of 1:39.10, edging Switzerland’s Camille Rast by 1.5 seconds, while Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson earned bronze.
Shiffrin’s victory was marked by emotion as she honored her late father, Jeff Shiffrin, who died in 2020.
Moments after the race, she closed her eyes, took deep breaths, kissed her fingers, and touched the podium before raising the American flag above her head.
Shiffrin’s triumph ends a 12 year gap between Olympic slalom golds, underscoring her resilience in a sport dominated by split second precision.
The victory also redeems a difficult start to the 2026 Games, where she finished 15th in the women’s combined slalom and 11th in the giant slalom.
“This was a moment I have dreamed about. I’ve also been very scared of this moment,” Shiffrin said after the race, reflecting on her father’s absence. “Maybe today was the first time that I could actually accept this … like, reality.”
Shiffrin, 28, has won 108 World Cup races the most in alpine skiing history and previously claimed Olympic slalom gold at 18 during the 2014 Sochi Games.
Despite dominating the World Cup this season, winning seven of eight slalom events, her Olympic performances have faced scrutiny, including a podium drought at Beijing 2022.
The Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre course consisted of 63 turns. Shiffrin’s competitors in the morning session, Germany’s Lena Duerr and Sweden’s Cornelia Oehlund, failed to finish the afternoon course.
Dr. Markus Vogel, sports psychologist at the University of Innsbruck, said, “Shiffrin’s ability to compartmentalize grief and competitive pressure demonstrates exceptional mental resilience.
Athletes in high stakes individual sports often experience psychological plateaus that require focused recovery.”
U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association CEO Sophie Caldwell added, “Mikaela’s performance highlights the importance of combining physical skill with emotional intelligence. Her win inspires both teammates and the next generation of skiers.”
Rast acknowledged Shiffrin’s dominance: “Everybody wants to ski as fast as Mikaela, and she’s the fastest today again.”
Shiffrin’s mother, Eileen, shared an emotional embrace on the podium. “You just get that moment to actually embrace,” Shiffrin said.
Shiffrin’s victory sets the stage for continued dominance in World Cup and Olympic circuits.
With six Olympic medals now, she is positioned to become a benchmark for consistency in alpine skiing, while her personal journey underscores resilience in elite sports.
Shiffrin’s gold at Milan-Cortina closes a complex chapter of personal loss and professional challenge, offering a defining moment in the history of US skiing.
Her return to Olympic slalom glory demonstrates not only technical mastery but also the emotional depth required to perform at the highest level.
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