American skiing sensation Mikaela Shiffrin is gearing up for what could be the defining moment of her 2026 Winter Olympics campaign. The 30-year-old star, widely regarded as the most successful Alpine skier in World Cup history, heads into the women’s slalom on Wednesday, February 18—the final Alpine event of the Milan Cortina Games—still searching for her first medal in these Olympics and her first overall since 2018.
Shiffrin, who has dominated slalom with a record nine World Cup titles and 71 career victories in the discipline (including seven this season alone), enters as a heavy favorite. She starts with bib 7 in the first run, giving her a prime position to gauge conditions and set the pace among top contenders.
Her journey so far in Cortina has been a mix of close calls and frustration. In the women’s team combined, a surprisingly slow slalom leg cost her and teammate Breezy Johnson a podium spot, leaving them in fourth. Then, in the giant slalom, Shiffrin finished a solid but unsatisfying 11th—0.30 seconds off the medals in a fiercely competitive field won by Italy’s Federica Brignone.
Despite the setbacks, Shiffrin remains optimistic and introspective about the unique pressures of the Olympics. “No matter how many runs of slalom I do, it never gets easier,” she said recently. “It only gets like you become more aware of how challenging it is.” The teenager who claimed gold in slalom at the 2014 Sochi Games knows the stakes: a strong performance could deliver her third Olympic gold and cement her legacy further.
Joining Shiffrin for Team USA are Paula Moltzan, Nina O’Brien, and AJ Hurt, adding depth to the American challenge.
How and when to watch the women’s slalom:
Run 1: 4:00 a.m. ET
Run 2: 7:30 a.m. ET
Both runs will be available to stream live on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com.
As the curtain falls on Alpine skiing at these Games, all eyes are on Shiffrin. Will her unmatched slalom prowess finally break through the Olympic drought? Fans worldwide are holding their breath for what could be a historic comeback.
