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NEED TO KNOW
- Mikaela Shiffrin missed out on a medal for a second time at the 2026 Winter Olympics, this time in giant slalom on Feb. 15
- Shiffrin, the most winning alpine skier in history, has struggled to find her speed at the Olympics
- The star skier said before her race that she felt "an overwhelming sense of gratitude" to be able to compete after her 2024 crash
Disappointment reigned at the 2026 Winter Olympics for Mikaela Shiffrin, who missed the podium for a second time on Sunday after struggling during the women’s giant slalom final.
Shiffrin, 30, is the most winningest athlete in the sport. But on Feb. 15, she faltered in giant slalom, the same event where she won gold in 2018, just days after she and teammate Breezy Johnson placed fourth in the women’s team combined event despite being favored to win.
Shiffrin entered the second run of the day 1.02 seconds behind Italian leader Federica Brignone, but just .056 seconds out of third place. On her second run, she clocked in at 1:10.17, bringing her final total to 2:14.42.
She is currently in 11th place.
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In a social media post just before the event, Shiffrin said she was feeling "an overwhelming sense of gratitude" that she was able to compete at all in the 2026 Olympics following a brutal crash in Vermont in 2024 where she punctured her abdomen.
"I'm proud of how far I've come. A little over a year ago — following my crash and injury in Killington — I couldn't even imagine skiing giant slalom at this level again, let alone starting in the discipline at the Olympics 🥹🙏," she wrote on Feb. 14.
In another social media post on Feb. 13, Shiffrin — who will compete once more in slalom on Feb. 18 — admitted that her race in the team combined event “didn’t come together the way I visualized,” but praised Team USA's Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan, who won a bronze medal.
“I fought for every hundredth and didn’t totally find the right execution,” she said. “This was certainly cause for some disappointment, even amid the most wonderful celebration of Jackie and Paula. That’s ski racing: fine margins, endless changing variables, and constant adaptation.”
Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP via Getty
Shiffrin wrote that she’s “grateful to be here, motivated and excited for what’s next, and proud to be part of this American team. May we all champion one another, tread lightly on what we don’t fully comprehend, and have the fortitude to keep showing up.”
She signed her letter by writing, “Go Team USA.”
She previously spoke about her and Johnson’s fourth-place finish after the event, saying she hoped to “keep moving forward.”
"It's hard to explain the feeling I get on the long skis. I was trying to reset every single part and bring more speed and it wasn't going in the right direction, but it was so tight," she explained. "You have to give your all in order to earn that. I had a couple bobbles but ultimately it's so exciting to be a part of this and it's so exciting to do this with Breezy."
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.
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