For the greatest alpine skier in history, the Winter Olympics had turned into a recurring nightmare. Mikaela Shiffrin, holder of an unmatched 108 World Cup victories, has carried the weight of her disastrous 2022 Beijing performance — where she entered six events as the heavy favorite but left without a single medal, crashing out of three and missing the podium in the rest.
That shutout haunted her, transforming the Games from a stage of triumph into something she dreaded. But now, at her fourth Olympics, a fresh opportunity arrives in the debut of the women’s team combined event — a new discipline pairing one downhill specialist with one slalom expert, their combined times deciding the medal.
Shiffrin, the two-time Olympic gold medalist (slalom in 2014, giant slalom in 2018) and dominant force in technical events, teams up with none other than Breezy Johnson, the freshly crowned Olympic downhill champion who struck gold just days ago on the Tofane slope. The duo is no stranger to success: they claimed the inaugural women’s team combined title at the 2025 World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, blending Johnson’s blistering speed with Shiffrin’s unmatched precision in slalom.
The event format plays to their strengths — Johnson handles the high-speed downhill run, while Shiffrin tackles the technical slalom leg. With the pair already proven winners together, expectations are sky-high for Team USA’s top duo in this medal-favorite matchup against powerhouses from Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and beyond.
Shiffrin has spoken candidly about the mental scars from Beijing, describing it as a low point that fueled personal growth through therapy and reflection. She’s narrowed her 2026 program to just three events — the team combined, giant slalom, and slalom — to avoid the overload that contributed to her 2022 struggles, while also recovering from a freak abdominal puncture in a 2024 Killington crash that left lingering PTSD-like effects.
This team event offers a low-pressure yet high-stakes chance to rewrite the narrative. A strong showing could banish the Beijing ghosts for good, adding another layer to Shiffrin’s legendary career and delivering Team USA an emotional boost early in the Games.
The women’s team combined kicks off Tuesday with the downhill at 4:30 a.m. ET, followed by the slalom leg. Catch the action on NBC, Peacock, or official Olympic platforms — where all eyes will be on whether this powerhouse pairing turns Shiffrin’s Olympic dread into golden redemption.
