Mikaela Shiffrin, the American alpine skiing star, has staged a thrilling comeback after a rocky start to her 2026 Winter Olympics journey. Arriving in Milan with sky-high expectations and gold medal hopes in every event, Shiffrin first teamed up with Breezy Johnson in the team combined, where they narrowly missed the podium with a 4th place finish, with Shiffrin struggling in the slalom. Her giant slalom run saw her finish 11th, leaving fans wondering if her Olympic magic would return.
Shiffrin’s final event at the Games came in the slalom today, her strongest discipline, where she claimed gold and made history as the American skier with the most Olympic alpine gold medals.
Mikaela Shiffrin Grabs Slalom Gold In Milan
The Milan Games marked Shiffrin’s fourth Olympic appearance. She made her Olympic debut at the Sochi 2014 Games, where she made history as the youngest Olympic slalom champion ever, at the age of 18. She would go on to win gold in giant slalom and silver in alpine combined at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
With three Olympic golds now to her name, Shiffrin blazed down the slalom course in 1:39.10, capturing victory by a stunning 1.50 seconds — the widest margin in Olympic Alpine skiing since 1998. She stands alone as the first U.S. skier to claim three Olympic golds, and uniquely, both the youngest and oldest American woman to win Alpine gold.
Remarkably, Shiffrin’s winning margin alone surpasses the total combined margins of all Olympic slalom champions from 1998 to 2022, underscoring the sheer dominance of her victory.
Shiffrin’s Message For Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan
While Shiffrin and Johnson missed out on the podium in the team combined event, their U.S teammates, Jackie Wiles and Paula Moltzan, won bronze in the event, with Wiles on downhill (1:37.04) and Moltzan on slalom (44.87), recording a combined time of 2:21.91.
After the event, Shiffrin shared a message for the duo, writing on Instagram:
“Jackie and Paula, The blood, sweat, and tears that went into this medal for both of you, on your individual paths and then coming together today…it cannot be emphasized enough how much you deserve this – and how much the broader team of coaches, staff, and all of the support system has earned this celebration of YOU. I am, yet again, so inspired by my teammates🙏🏻❤️🤍💙 Love, Miki.”
Wiles marked her final Olympic appearance in Milan, finally adding an Olympic medal to her resume. Moltzan also won the first Olympic medal of her career, with the duo’s finish being the only U.S alpine podium until Shiffrin’s slalom gold today.
