American skier Mikaela Shiffrin will compete in slalom, giant slalom and team combined at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, halving her program from Beijing 2022 after serious crashes. U.S. head coach Paul Kristofic says the streamlined approach will aid her preparation in her strongest disciplines. Meanwhile, Lindsey Vonn plans to race downhill despite a recent ACL tear.
Mikaela Shiffrin is refining her approach for the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics following challenges in Beijing four years ago, where she entered six events but did not finish three and won no medals. Now, she will focus solely on slalom—where she holds a record 71 World Cup victories—giant slalom with 22 wins, and the team combined event, which includes a slalom run for her. This decision, made well in advance, comes after two major crashes since 2022: a downhill incident in Cortina d'Ampezzo in January 2024 and a severe giant slalom fall in Killington, Vermont, last season that caused a deep abdominal puncture wound and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Shiffrin tested super-G this season with a strong showing in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in December, though she missed the final gate. She has a history of success in the discipline, including a 2019 World Cup win in Cortina and medals at world championships, but opted not to pursue it further. Kristofic told The Associated Press that spreading efforts across speed and technical events can compromise preparation. "You can get spread very thin," he said. "So ultimately you run out of time to really prepare yourself to 100% be on point in your key disciplines." He added that the narrowed focus has kept Shiffrin on track, especially after her recent return to the giant slalom podium less than two weeks before the Games.
The U.S. women's team shows medal potential across events. In downhill, 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn intends to compete Sunday despite tearing her left knee's ACL last week; she shared a social media video of workouts with a brace. Jacqueline Wiles, Breezy Johnson and Paula Moltzan have podiumed this season alongside Shiffrin, positioning the team for possible medals in every race. For team combined, pairings will be set after Sunday's downhill based on objective performance, not fan preferences. Last year at worlds, Breezy Johnson and Shiffrin won gold. Slalom rankings feature Shiffrin first, followed by Moltzan, Nina O'Brien and AJ Hurt.
The Olympics, spread across northern Italy including women's alpine skiing in Cortina d'Ampezzo, begin with an opening ceremony Friday at San Siro stadium. Vonn expressed mixed feelings about the dispersed venues, preferring the closeness of Salt Lake City 2002. Construction at Cortina's sliding center and a gondola lift to the alpine area remains incomplete, but snow has aided preparations.
