As Mikaela Shiffrin stepped into the start gate for the women’s slalom at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, the weight of expectations was immense. But the American superstar wasn’t alone — she had the voices of her team echoing in her ear, delivering exactly what she needed to hear.
In a heartwarming moment captured and shared by NBC Olympics, Shiffrin “heard ALL the right words” from the Team Radio ahead of her historic second run, a boost that helped propel her to a commanding gold medal victory and her place as the most decorated U.S. alpine skier in Olympic history.
The 30-year-old phenom dominated both runs on the Tofane course, posting a combined time of 1:39.10 — 1.50 seconds ahead of Switzerland’s Camille Rast (silver) and 1.71 seconds clear of Sweden’s Anna Swenn-Larsson (bronze). It marked her third Olympic gold (adding to Sochi 2014 slalom and PyeongChang 2018 giant slalom), surpassing Ted Ligety and Andrea Mead Lawrence for the most by any American in the discipline.
The radio encouragement came at a pivotal juncture. After a strong first run where she built an 0.82-second lead despite a brief gate clip, Shiffrin needed composure and fire for the decisive second descent. The team’s timely words — precise, supportive, and perfectly timed — provided that mental edge, turning potential pressure into focused intensity.
Shiffrin, who had endured a medal-less Beijing 2022 and early disappointments in these Games (including a fourth-place finish in the team combined), described the moment as transformative. Post-race, she spoke of feeling “clear” and “prepared” to channel the butterflies into performance, crediting the collective belief from her coaches and teammates.
“This one feels like coming full circle,” Shiffrin said. “The team radio… it was everything. Those words hit right when I needed them — belief, focus, trust in the process. It reminded me why we do this together.”
The victory not only ended an eight-year individual Olympic medal drought but also tied her with Julia Mancuso for the most Olympic medals by a U.S. woman in alpine skiing (four total). With over 100 World Cup wins already to her name, Shiffrin’s legacy as the greatest slalom skier of her era — and arguably all time — is now unassailable.
Fans and commentators flooded social media with praise, echoing the sentiment from NBC’s viral clip: the quiet power of teamwork and the right encouragement at the right moment can turn history into reality.
For Shiffrin, this gold wasn’t just about crossing the line first — it was about hearing the support that made it possible, one perfectly timed word at a time. In the high-stakes world of Olympic alpine skiing, sometimes the loudest roar comes through an earpiece. And for Mikaela Shiffrin, it sounded exactly right. 🥇
