American skier Mikaela Shiffrin won gold in the women's slalom on February 18, 2026, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, ending an eight-year Olympic medal drought. She finished 1.50 seconds ahead of Switzerland's Camille Rast, with Sweden's Anna Swenn Larsson taking bronze. The victory marks Shiffrin's third Olympic gold and fourth medal overall.
Mikaela Shiffrin dominated the women's slalom at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, securing gold with a combined time of 1:39.10. Starting as the bib number seven, she posted the fastest first run of 47.13 seconds, leading Germany's Lena Duerr by 0.82 seconds on a course described by Team USA as a 'high-tempo ripper' amid the Dolomites' jagged peaks. Between runs, Shiffrin attempted to nap but reflected emotionally on her late father, Jeff, who died in 2020, marking this as her first Olympic medal since his passing.
In the second run, Shiffrin extended her lead, finishing 51.97 seconds for the day, the largest margin in any Olympic Alpine event since 1998. Switzerland's Camille Rast earned silver at 1:40.60, while Sweden's Anna Swenn Larsson claimed bronze at 1:40.81, her first Olympic medal at age 34. Earlier challengers faltered: Duerr straddled the first gate, and Sweden's Cornelia Oehlund broke a pole.
Shiffrin's win ties her with Julia Mancuso for most Olympic medals by a U.S. woman in Alpine skiing and makes her both the youngest (18 in Sochi 2014) and oldest (30) American to win slalom gold. It follows a 0-for-6 performance in Beijing 2022 and recent finishes of fourth in team combined and 11th in giant slalom here. With 108 World Cup victories, including 71 in slalom, Shiffrin said post-race: 'The skiing is what I cared about... I'm so happy to be able to do the right thing in the right moment.' She credited her team and psychologist for navigating grief and pressure, adding: 'Today was maybe the first time I could actually accept this reality' without her father.
The U.S. women ended with three Alpine medals, matching their second-best single-Games haul. Shiffrin embraced Rast and Larsson on the podium, then shared a long hug with her mother and coach, Eileen.
