Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated skier in World Cup history, saw her medal hopes in the women’s giant slalom slip away on Sunday, February 15, finishing 11th at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The result leaves the American star with just one last opportunity to add to her Olympic tally: the women’s slalom on Wednesday, February 18.
Shiffrin, who entered the giant slalom with a strong first run placing her seventh, couldn’t maintain momentum in the second descent on the challenging Tofane course. Despite skiing aggressively, she dropped four positions and finished 0.92 seconds behind gold medalist Federica Brignone of Italy, with silver shared by Sweden’s Sara Hector and Thea Louise Stjernesund—just 0.3 seconds ahead of Shiffrin in a razor-thin field.
This marks another chapter in Shiffrin’s complicated Olympic narrative. The 30-year-old holds the all-time World Cup win record and dominates technical events season after season, yet Olympic success has proven elusive since her gold medals in slalom (2014) and giant slalom (2018). A heartbreaking DNF in the 2022 Beijing giant slalom and near-misses elsewhere have fueled a storyline of dominance clashing with the high-stakes, one-day format of the Games.
Her results so far in Milan-Cortina reflect the pressure:
Women’s team combined (with Breezy Johnson): 4th (February 10)
Women’s giant slalom: 11th (February 15)
Women’s slalom: Upcoming (February 18, first run at 4:00 a.m. ET, second at 7:30 a.m. ET)
Shiffrin struck an optimistic tone post-race, calling the giant slalom “the greatest show” in the discipline in years and noting she felt faster and more confident despite the outcome. “I went as hard as I could,” she said, emphasizing the tight margins that defined the day.
The performance comes amid her remarkable recovery from a severe abdominal injury sustained in a late-2024 crash during a World Cup giant slalom in Killington, Vermont. The freak accident caused a puncture wound and significant muscle trauma, sidelining her for months and leaving lingering psychological effects. Returning to elite competition in high-impact technical events has been a triumph in itself.
Slalom offers Shiffrin her strongest path forward. She has dominated the discipline this season, securing multiple wins and the Crystal Globe early, showcasing the precision, rhythm, and consistency that define her best skiing. Olympic slalom medals often come down to flawless execution over two runs—avoiding a single error like a gate hitch, line mistake, or speed-bleeding recovery.
With the alpine schedule winding down, Wednesday’s race carries immense weight. A top position after the first run could set up an aggressive second, while any slip could seal a medal-less Games for one of skiing’s all-time greats.
As the spotlight intensifies, Shiffrin remains the skier to beat in her signature event. A strong showing could rewrite the narrative of her Olympic journey and deliver the hardware her résumé demands.
