Mikaela Shiffrin Ends Olympic Drought
Mikaela Shiffrin ended her eight-year Olympic medal drought by winning gold in the women's slalom at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The American skier's victory marks a pivotal moment for Team USA after years of pressure and near-misses in previous Olympic competitions.
- This victory gives Shiffrin her third career Olympic gold medal, making her the first American alpine skier to achieve this milestone. - The win broke a streak of disappointments at the Winter Games, after she left the 2022 Beijing Olympics without any medals despite competing in six events. In three of her signature events in Beijing, she registered a "Did Not Finish" (DNF). - Shiffrin's gold medal in slalom at the 2014 Sochi Olympics made her the youngest-ever Olympic slalom champion at 18 years and 345 days old. - Outside of the Olympics, Shiffrin is the most successful World Cup skier in history, holding the record for the most World Cup wins of any alpine skier, male or female. - Her dominance in the slalom discipline is historic; she has earned more World Cup victories in slalom than any other skier in any single discipline. - The 2026 victory was decisive, with Shiffrin finishing 1.50 seconds ahead of silver medalist Camille Rast of Switzerland. - Leading up to the Milan Cortina Games, Shiffrin demonstrated strong form by winning seven out of eight World Cup slalom races during the season. - This Olympic gold is her fourth individual Olympic medal, adding to her 2014 slalom gold, a 2018 giant slalom gold, and a 2018 silver in the combined event.
