While it isn’t the discipline she excels in the most, Team USA skier Mikaela Shiffrin was expected to be within shouting distance for a medal in the women’s giant slalom at Cortina d’Ampezzo on Sunday afternoon.
Instead, the most decorated skier of all time was passed over many times in what proved to be one of the closest races of these Winter Olympics.
Shiffrin finished eleventh in the giant slalom, but it was by no means a blowout as she came just 0.3 seconds off the podium.
The event was so tight that Swedish skier Sara Hector and Norwegian Thea Louise Stjernesund finished tied for silver with a combined time of 2:14.12. Italian Federica Brignone won on home snow to take her second gold medal of these games.
‘My GS has been building and building and I felt like I pushed really hard both runs,’ Shiffrin told NBC. ‘It is such a stacked race, it was incredible to witness this and to be part of it.’
Shiffrin’s miss comes after she posted a heartfelt message to fans after her recent loss in the team combined event.
American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin finished 0.3 seconds off the podium in the giant slalom
While giant slalom isn’t her best event, Shiffrin was expected to be within shouting distance of a medal – considering she currently ranks No. 4 in the world in this discipline in the World Cup
In what proved to be an extremely competitive race, Shiffrin’s time was good for 11th place
After teammate Breezy Johnson turned in the best downhill time in the field, Shiffrin put up one of the slowest slalom times in her career. Despite winning more slalom events than any skier in history, her missed opportunity led to a fourth-place finish.
‘The Olympics shine a bright light on medals… and within this experience, what I treasure most are the quiet, meaningful moments of work, connection, and shared joy with my team,’ she wrote in a statement.
‘I am here for the skiing and the execution of my turns. My skiing in the first race didn’t come together the way I visualized. I fought for every hundredth and didn’t totally find the right execution.
‘This was certainly cause for some disappointment, even amid the most wonderful celebration of [bronze medalists] Jackie [Wiles] and Paula [Moltzan].’
She continued: ‘That’s ski racing: fine margins, endless changing variables, and constant adaptation.
‘We’ve taken the lessons, analyzed and adjusted, and are moving forward-with focus, intention, and belief in the practice.
‘The Olympics ask us to take a real risk on the world stage. One that requires courage and vulnerability to erroneous judgement and narratives built on a limited understanding of what this sport truly demands. And it all matters in the story of becoming the best version of ourselves.’
Shiffrin concluded, ‘I’m grateful to be here, motivated and excited for what’s next, and proud to be a 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. Go Team USA.’
Shiffrin shared a heartfelt statement after her heartbreaking loss in the team combined
Shiffrin hugs teammate Breezy Johnson after finishing fourth in the team combined
Shiffrin is in the midst of a truly confounding Olympic medal drought. Her last time on the podium came at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang where she took gold in the giant slalom and silver in the individual combined.
But in Beijing in 2022, Shiffrin didn’t add any silverware to her cabinet – finishing fourth in the team event, ninth in the Super-G, 18th in the downhill and DNF-ing in the slalom, giant slalom and individual combined.
Between Beijing and Cortina, Shiffrin suffered a horrific injury in the giant slalom race at Killington in Vermont back in November of 2024.
She managed to recover after months away from skiing and has fully returned to form in the 2025-26 World Cup season.
‘When I think back to last year returning form the injury and I was two seconds off and couldn’t dream of being faster, it’s pretty incredible to be this close and to be in touch and to have two runs, solid, pushing down the hill. It was a really exciting race,’ Shiffrin told NBC after Sunday’s finish.
Shiffrin will look for Olympic redemption in her strongest race – the slalom – on Wednesday.
