For the first time since 2018, American skier Mikaela Shiffrin has captured an Olympic gold medal. She ended the drought on Wednesday, blowing past the rest of the field in the women's slalom.
Shiffrin had a rough start to the 2026 Winter Games, squandering a first-run lead from Breezy Johnson in the combined event and placing 11th in the women’s giant slalom. And yet, she wouldn't let her failures define her. She entered Wednesday's slalom competition with a positive mindset and posted an impressive time of 1:39.1.
"The wonderful thing about this day was that I felt proud before it happened. We took that pride into the day. That was wonderful," Shiffrin said. "I've been very grateful to the team, to my coaches and everybody around me who helped me focus on the thing that's the most meaningful, which is strong skiing, strong turns -- just proper skiing. And that's what I got to do today."
© Michael Madrid-Imagn Images.
After winning Olympic gold in Milan this week, Shiffrin went on social media to celebrate. She shared a photo of her laying down on a hotel bed along with the caption: "Not a lot going on right now…"
Shiffrin's celebratory post generated plenty of buzz, receiving over 372,000 views and 18,000 likes.
"How'd you take this pic? Gold medal selfie taking too," one fan commented.
"Saying 'not a lot going on' right after winning olympic gold is the most unbothered thing posted this year," a second fan wrote.
History for Shiffrin.
Shiffrin entered the 2026 Olympics with a record 108 World Cup wins. She was already considered a legend before she dominated Wednesday's slalom competition.
With this week's victory in the books, Shiffrin is now the only American Alpine skier to win three career Olympic gold medals.
We can't wait to see what's next for Shiffrin.