Mikaela Shiffrin grabbed headlines after her awe-inspiring performance in the slalom final of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The U.S. alpine skier took first place in the race to secure her fourth career medal in the Winter Games.
Shiffrin won her first gold in her Olympic debut in 2014, also in the slalom. In 2018, the Vail, Colorado native won gold in the giant slalom and a silver medal in the combined event. Shiffrin, however, failed to reach the podium in all six of her events in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
With her fourth medal on Wednesday, Shiffrin tied Julia Mancuso as the most decorated U.S. women’s alpine skier in Olympic history.
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Shiffrin got emotional after the slalom final. While she was overjoyed with her achievement, the 30-year-old also could not help but look back on the untimely death of her father. Shiffrin lost her dad to a home accident in 2020. This was the first time she won an Olympic medal without him by her side.
Shiffrin spoke about her emotional moment in an interview on the “TODAY” show on Thursday. The serious conversation turned humorous after the decorated skier accidentally swore on live TV.
Shiffrin addressed her on-air mistake on social media. She reposted the video on her Instagram story along with an apology.
"Definitely rational and logical. Ooooopsie!! Sorry to everyone for swearing on live TV today. Twice😅😅” she wrote.
The hosts were quick to forgive Shiffrin after her unexpected moment. She immediately apologized on the show and later issued a public apology on social media.
Shiffrin will now head back to the United States after completing her third event in the Winter Games. She now heads home as a four-time Olympic medalist.