American alpine legend Mikaela Shiffrin stormed to the top of the leaderboard in the women’s slalom at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, posting a blistering first-run time of 47.13 seconds that left the field in her wake.
The 30-year-old skiing icon, who has dominated World Cup slalom with a record 71 victories and nine crystal globes, holds a commanding 0.82-second advantage over Germany’s Lena Dürr in second place after the opening run on the challenging Tofane course. Switzerland’s Camille Rast, the reigning world champion and one of the few to beat Shiffrin in slalom this season, sits in fourth, 1.05 seconds back.
Shiffrin’s aggressive, precise performance—marked by clean edges, confident lines, and a powerful lunge across the finish—came after earlier setbacks in these Games, including an 11th-place finish in giant slalom and disappointment in the team combined. This slalom marks her final Alpine event and strongest shot at ending an eight-year individual Olympic medal drought, last tasting podium glory with gold in Sochi 2014.
The nearly 600-foot vertical drop tested the entire 95-skier field, but Shiffrin’s run stood unchallenged even as top contenders came through. She celebrated with a fist pump, knowing the substantial cushion could prove decisive in a discipline where races are frequently won by fractions of a second.
“This felt really clean, really active, but also a little bit on the limit,” Shiffrin told NBC post-run. “There were moments I thought I could easily be off the course, but I just kept pushing and fighting.”
With her historic pedigree and this early dominance, the pressure now shifts to the afternoon’s second run. Can Shiffrin hold firm and claim what would be a landmark third Olympic gold, cementing her status as one of the greatest ever? Or will a chasing pack—including potential threats like Rast—mount a comeback on the iconic Italian slopes?
All eyes remain on the American star in what promises to be high-drama drama. Live results and updates are streaming on the official FIS App.
