Olympic struggles continue for legendary American skier at Milan-Cortina
Mikaela Shiffrin finished 11th in the women’s giant slalom at the Milan-Cortina Olympics on Sunday, extending her Olympic medal drought to eight consecutive events and deepening questions about her performance under the Olympic spotlight.
Italy’s Federica Brignone dominated the competition, posting a combined time of 2 minutes and 13.50 seconds for her second gold medal of these Games. Sweden’s Sara Hector and Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund tied for silver with identical combined times of 2:14.12, just 0.62 seconds behind Brignone.
Shiffrin, widely considered the greatest ski racer of her generation, has now failed to reach the podium in her last eight Olympic events spanning Beijing 2022 and the ongoing Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games. Her combined time of 2:14.42 placed her 0.92 seconds behind the gold medalist.
From world-class to struggling at the Olympics
The contrast between Shiffrin’s dominant World Cup form and her Olympic struggles has become striking. Before arriving in Italy, she had won seven of her last eight World Cup slalom races and had been steadily improving in giant slalom competitions, advancing from sixth to fifth to fourth to third place finishes in the weeks leading into these Games.
“I didn’t quite find a comfort level that allows me to produce full speed,” Shiffrin said after her disappointing combined event finish earlier in the Games. “There’s always something to learn, so I’m going to go back and analyze with the team and learn that.”
In the giant slalom specifically, Shiffrin holds the women’s record with 22 World Cup victories. However, she endured an 11-race podium drought between January 2024 and last month, when she finally returned to third place in Czechia.
The Beijing factor and mental blocks
Four years ago in Beijing, Shiffrin went 0 for 6 on individual podiums and failed to finish three races, with her best result being ninth place in the super-G. Mental preparation and the pressure of Olympic competition have emerged as central factors in her performances.
Meanwhile, Brignone’s victory marks a commanding performance at these Games, further establishing Italy’s dominance in alpine skiing at the home Olympics.
