CORTINA D’AMPEZZO: Redemption arrived in two flawless runs. Mikaela Shiffrin delivered a vintage performance in the women’s slalom on Wednesday, clinching Olympic gold and ending an eight-year wait for the top step of the podium.
The American skiing icon dominated both runs to finish 1.50 seconds clear of Switzerland’s Camille Rast, with Sweden’s Anna Swenn-Larsson taking bronze.
The victory marks Shiffrin’s third career Olympic gold medal, making her the first American Alpine skier to achieve the feat. It is also her second Olympic slalom title, 12 years after she became the youngest-ever slalom champion at the 2014 Winter Olympics at just 18.
Now 30, Shiffrin’s triumph in Cortina completes a remarkable comeback arc. After winning gold and silver at the 2018 Winter Olympics, she endured a medal-less campaign at the 2022 Winter Olympics, going 0-for-6 and facing intense scrutiny over whether Olympic pressure had caught up with her.
On Wednesday, she answered every lingering question. “The wonderful thing about this day was that I felt proud before it happened,” Shiffrin said after the race. “We took that pride into the day.”
Her margin of victory — the third-largest in Olympic women’s slalom history — underscored her dominance in a discipline she has long ruled. Of her record 108 World Cup wins, 71 have come in slalom, more than any skier in any single discipline. She has captured seven of eight slalom races this season and secured yet another Crystal Globe.
But this gold carried emotional weight beyond statistics. Between runs, Shiffrin admitted she battled nerves and even tears of gratitude for the support system around her — her coaches, teammates, her mother Eileen, and the memory of her late father, Jeff.
After crossing the finish line, she crouched on her skis, head bowed, absorbing the moment. Later, she revealed she had taken time to reflect on her father, who passed away six years ago.
“This was a moment I have dreamed about,” she said. “I’ve also been very scared about this moment.”
Rast, the reigning world champion and the only skier to defeat Shiffrin in slalom this season, conceded the American was untouchable.
“She just puts everything together,” Rast said. “Everybody wants to ski as fast as Mikaela, and she was the fastest today again.”
Twelve years after her first Olympic breakthrough, Shiffrin once again stood atop the podium — proof that in Alpine skiing, resilience can be as powerful as raw speed.
Source: ESPN
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