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Mikaela Shiffrin Wins Third Olympic Slalom Gold, Dedicates Victory to Late Father

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  • United States' Mikaela Shiffrin at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
    United States' Mikaela Shiffrin at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
    Image: WBNS (Columbus, OH)
    United States' Mikaela Shiffrin at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo. (Credit: AP) Source Full size
  • United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during women's slalom race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Feb. 18, 2026.
    United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during women's slalom race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Feb. 18, 2026.
    Image: King5 (Seattle, WA)
    United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during women's slalom race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Feb. 18, 2026. (Credit: AP) Source Full size
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  • United States' Mikaela Shiffrin at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
    United States' Mikaela Shiffrin at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
    Image: WBNS (Columbus, OH)
    United States' Mikaela Shiffrin at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's giant slalom race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo. (Credit: AP) Source Full size
  • United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during women's slalom race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Feb. 18, 2026.
    United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during women's slalom race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Feb. 18, 2026.
    Image: King5 (Seattle, WA)
    United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during women's slalom race at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Feb. 18, 2026. (Credit: AP) Source Full size

Gold‑Medal Performance and Historic Margin On Feb 18 2026 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Shiffrin posted a combined 1:39.10, beating the field by 1.50 seconds – the largest Olympic Alpine margin since 1998 and the third‑largest ever in women’s slalom [1][2][4][5]. The win makes her the first U.S. skier with three Alpine Olympic golds and the only athlete to claim Olympic slalom gold twelve years apart [2][4]. Her victory also secured a historic 0.82‑second lead after the first run, expanding to the final margin on the second run [1].

Personal Dedication and Mental Resilience Shiffrin repeatedly cited her late father Jeff, who died in a 2020 Colorado home accident, as the emotional anchor that brought her “peace” and a feeling of being “reborn” during the race [2][1][4]. She posted an Instagram message repeating “I won” four times, emphasizing the need to be “loud with herself” after a 2024 puncture injury and subsequent therapy [2]. The podium embrace with her mother, coach Eileen, and fiancé Alexander Aamodt Kilde highlighted the personal closure she sought [1][2].

Season Dominance and Prior Olympic Setbacks Entering Cortina, Shiffrin had won seven of eight World Cup slalom events this season and held 108 career World Cup victories, the most ever in alpine skiing [4][6]. She rebounded from a 0‑for‑6 showing in Beijing 2022, a fourth‑place team combined finish, and an 11th place in the current giant slalom [1][5][6]. A December 2024 crash in Killington that caused a puncture wound and stomach‑muscle damage forced a year‑long mental‑health break before her comeback [4].

Glacier Alarm Linked to Athlete Platform After her gold, Shiffrin joined Lindsey Vonn and Italy’s Federica Brignone in warning that Cortina’s glaciers have shrunk to “tiny ice patches,” with the iconic Marmolada glacier projected to disappear by 2034 under 2.7 °C warming [3]. Italian glaciologist Antonella Senese noted a loss of over 200 km² of glacier area since the 1950s, accelerating in the past two decades [3]. Shiffrin urged stronger climate policy, linking the retreat to the future of skiing [3].

Team USA Results and Competition Context While Shiffrin secured gold, teammates Paula Moltzan, AJ Hurt, and Nina O’Brien posted mixed outcomes: Moltzan led early in the slalom before falling off the podium, Hurt finished 1.5 seconds behind, and O’Brien did not finish her first run [6][7][9]. A “bafflingly slow” combined run the previous week eliminated both Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson from medal contention [7][9]. The giant slalom placed Shiffrin 11th, just 0.3 seconds shy of a medal, underscoring her competitive form despite earlier setbacks [6][9].

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Timeline

Feb 2020 – Jeff Shiffrin dies in a Colorado home accident, a loss that later fuels Mikaela Shiffrin’s emotional drive and dedication in competition [1][2][4][11].

Jan 2022 – Breezy Johnson tears her right knee and damages cartilage in a training accident a month before the Beijing Games, forcing her withdrawal and a long rehab that shapes her 2026 Olympic comeback goal [3].

Feb 2022 – At the Beijing Winter Olympics, Mikaela Shiffrin crashes out of both giant slalom and slalom, completing a 0‑for‑6 Olympic record and ending a medal drought that lasts until 2026 [1][4][6][11].

Dec 2024 – Shiffrin suffers a crash at Killington that punctures a wound and damages stomach muscles, compounding an “invisible injury” after her father’s death and prompting a mental‑health focus that later underpins her 2026 resurgence [1][2].

Dec 2024 – Breezy Johnson endures a severe back injury she calls “the worst pain of my life,” adding to her history of ACL, MCL and PCL tears and influencing her preparation for the 2026 downhill event [3].

2024 – Lindsey Vonn undergoes a partial knee replacement, returns to competition and later wins two World Cup downhill races in the 2025‑26 season, positioning her as a veteran teammate in Cortina [3][10].

Dec 16, 2025 – Shiffrin clinches her 105th World Cup victory with a night slalom win in Courchevel, posting a 1.55‑second margin and extending her season‑long dominance in slalom [10].

Dec 25, 2025 – Shiffrin opens the Olympic season with four straight World Cup slalom wins, emphasizing a mental “new situation” approach and setting expectations for up to four Olympic events in Cortina [9].

Jan 2, 2026 – Austrian slalom silver medalist Katharina Liensberger crashes in giant‑slalom training, sustaining a tibial plateau fracture, meniscus tear and MCL injury that ends her season and removes a key rival for Shiffrin in Cortina [8].

Jan 13, 2026 – Shiffrin wins the Flachau night slalom, her 107th World Cup victory, extending a streak of six wins in seven slaloms and marking the final World Cup slalom before the Milan‑Cortina Games open on Feb 6 [7].

Jan 21, 2026 – Breezy Johnson announces her return to Cortina after a series of knee and back injuries, highlighting her 2025 World Champion downhill title and her unique pre‑race rituals, while noting teammates Shiffrin and Vonn’s veteran presence [3].

Feb 3, 2026 – Lindsey Vonn warns that “most of the glaciers that I used to ski on are pretty much gone,” drawing attention to rapid glacier loss in the Cortina region just before she crashes on the Olympic downhill course [5].

Feb 17, 2026 – Shiffrin previews her final Olympic slalom, describing it as her “third and last race” at the Games, noting a slow combined run that cost her a podium and emphasizing her record ninth World Cup slalom title [6].

Feb 18, 2026 (morning) – Shiffrin says she is “at peace” thinking of her late father and aims for a medal in her final Olympic slalom, acknowledging the mental challenge of repeated runs and the narrow 0.3‑second gap from the giant‑slalom podium [12][14].

Feb 18, 2026 (afternoon) – Shiffrin captures the women’s slalom gold in Cortina with a 1:39.10 total, leading by 1.05 seconds after the first run and expanding to a 1.50‑second margin, the largest Olympic Alpine victory since 1998 and her third Olympic gold, while dedicating the win to her father [1][2][4][11][13].

Feb 18, 2026 – Shiffrin remarks that the victory feels like “being born again” and that she “won” loudly to herself on Instagram, highlighting her mental‑health journey from the 2024 injury to Olympic triumph [2].

Feb 18, 2026 – Olympic skiers Shiffrin, Vonn and Italy’s Federica Brignone publicly alarm that Cortina’s glaciers have shrunk to tiny ice patches, with the Marmolada glacier projected to disappear by 2034 under current warming trends, urging stronger climate policy [5].

Feb 18, 2026 (broadcast) – The women’s slalom runs stream at 4 a.m. ET and 7:30 a.m. ET on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com, featuring U.S. teammates Paula Moltzan, Nina O’Brien and AJ Hurt alongside Shiffrin [12][14].

Feb 19, 2026 – U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association CEO Sophie Goldschmidt hails Shiffrin’s “well‑deserved” gold as a testament to her resilience after a difficult Olympic stretch, cementing her status as the first American skier with three Alpine Olympic golds [11][4].

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