In a triumphant return to Olympic glory, American alpine skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin captured gold in the women’s slalom on Wednesday at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games, securing her third career Olympic gold medal and etching her name as the most decorated U.S. alpine skier in Olympic history.
Shiffrin, 30, delivered two dominant runs on the sun-drenched Tofane course, finishing with a combined time of 1:39.10 — a commanding 1.50 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Camille Rast in silver and 1.71 seconds clear of Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson in bronze. The victory snapped an eight-year Olympic medal drought for the American icon, who last stood on the podium in PyeongChang 2018.
Her first gold came as an 18-year-old prodigy in slalom at Sochi 2014, followed by giant slalom gold and combined silver four years later in South Korea. After a medal-less Beijing 2022 campaign marked by disappointment and challenges, Shiffrin entered these Games with the weight of expectations — and she delivered emphatically in her signature event.
“This one feels different,” Shiffrin said post-race, reflecting on the journey. “It’s been a long road back, but attacking the course today felt right.”
With this win, Shiffrin surpasses previous U.S. alpine skiing benchmarks for Olympic golds. She now stands alone with three golds, outpacing legends like Ted Ligety and Andrea Mead Lawrence (who each had two), and becomes only the second skier ever — male or female — to win Olympic slalom gold twice, joining Switzerland’s Vreni Schneider.
The victory also ties her with Julia Mancuso for the most Olympic medals by a U.S. woman in alpine skiing, with four total (three gold, one silver). Beyond the Olympics, Shiffrin’s resume remains unparalleled: over 100 World Cup wins, multiple overall titles, and a record-setting haul at World Championships.
Shiffrin’s performance Wednesday was a masterclass in precision and power. Her first run set the tone, and her second was untouchable, showcasing the consistency that has defined her as the winningest alpine skier of all time.
For Team USA, the gold caps a strong alpine showing in Italy and reaffirms Shiffrin’s status as one of America’s greatest Winter Olympians. As she celebrates atop the mountain once more, the question is no longer if she’s the greatest — but how much further her legacy can climb.
“You are the moment,” one tribute read online, capturing the sentiment shared by fans worldwide. For Shiffrin, this gold is proof that persistence, talent, and sheer determination can rewrite history.
