Shiffrin Wins Slalom Gold, Ends Olympic Drought
Mikaela Shiffrin won the women's slalom in Milano Cortina with a combined time of 1:39.10, ending an eight-year Olympic medal drought.
Overview
Mikaela Shiffrin won the women's slalom at Milano Cortina with a combined time of 1:39.10, beating Switzerland's Camille Rast by 1.50 seconds and Sweden's Anna Swenn-Larsson for gold, silver and bronze respectively.
The victory ended an eight-year Olympic medal drought for Shiffrin and created a 12-year gap between her Olympic slalom golds, the longest between individual golds in the same Winter Games event, officials and historians noted.
Shiffrin crouched and embraced her mother at the finish, and she said afterward that showing up and feeling free were what she wanted most, according to postrace remarks.
Shiffrin holds 108 World Cup victories and 71 slalom wins, and this season she had seven slalom victories and one second in eight starts, statistics show; Camille Rast and Anna Swenn-Larsson completed the podium.
Shiffrin, racing the final Alpine event of the 2026 Winter Games, closed her Milano Cortina program with the slalom gold, capping her Olympic competition in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame Shiffrin's victory as 'sweet redemption' and a heroic comeback, using evaluative language ('Alpine legend', 'shattering an Olympic losing streak'), prioritizing career milestones and personal struggles, and emphasizing dramatic details (music, blue-sky setting). Quotes convey emotion, while editorial choices shape a triumphant redemption narrative.
Sources (15)
FAQ
Shiffrin won her first Olympic slalom gold at the 2014 Sochi Games at age 18. This victory created a 12-year gap between her slalom golds, the longest between individual golds in the same Winter Games event.
History
4 sources