Mikaela Shiffrin was the center of attention at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday. This is after the U.S. Alpine skier dominated the slalom race en route to her first gold medal in the 2026 Games.
Shiffrin did not make it to the podium in her first two events. She barely missed out on the inaugural team combined event, finishing fourth alongside teammate Breezy Johnson. The 30-year-old dropped to 11th in the giant slalom.
Shiffrin’s strongest discipline is the slalom, and she lived up to the expectations in Wednesday’s race. The decorated American skier finished 1.50 seconds ahead of the pack, a massive lead in the slalom.
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Shiffrin made history with her latest Olympic victory. This was her fourth Olympic medal, which ties the most for any female Alpine skier in U.S. history.
Shiffrin took to social media to share a two-word message as she celebrated her historic milestone. “I won,” she wrote, along with a gold medal emoji.
Team USA caught wind of Shiffrin’s post and had the perfect response.
“YEAH SHE DID. 🥇” Team USA posted on Instagram.
This is Shiffrin’s third gold medal in the Winter Olympics. In 2014, she also bagged gold in the slalom race during her Olympic debut. The Vail, Colorado, native won a gold (giant slalom) and a silver medal (combined) in PyeongChang in 2018.
Shiffrin did not win a single medal in six events in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She ended her drought on Wednesday in truly impressive fashion.