CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- American star alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin clinched gold in the women's slalom at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Wednesday, marking her third Olympic title and return to the top podium after eight years.
Camille Rast of Switzerland took silver, while Sweden's Anna Swenn Larsson secured bronze.
Shiffrin, the most successful women's alpine skier in World Cup history, asserted her dominance from the opening run and held nothing back in the second, finishing 1.50 seconds ahead of Rast in the combined standings.
Having won seven of eight World Cup slalom races this season, Shiffrin entered the competition as the overwhelming favorite. However, she failed to medal in the women's team combined and giant slalom earlier at these Games. Coupled with a disappointing campaign at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where she did not finish in her main events, the pressure was evident.
The Sochi 2014 slalom champion showed determination from the outset, taking a commanding 0.82-second lead after the first run.
Germany's Lena Duerr was the only skier within one second of Shiffrin in the opening leg, but her medal hopes evaporated in the second run after she made an early mistake at the first gate. Sweden's Cornelia Oehlund, third after the first run and one second behind the leader, also failed to convert her position into a podium finish after breaking a ski pole and not finishing.
Shiffrin, 30, won a giant slalom gold at PyeongChang 2018. Four years later, she failed to finish in her individual events, with her best result being fourth place in the mixed team event.
"I know my level of slalom skiing. When it's good, I know what's possible, and sometimes the hardest thing is to do the best skiing. But I came here for the skiing. I came here for the turns between the start and the finish," Shiffrin said after the race. "You have two runs, and it's a little bit more stressful. I have a challenging relationship with racing, but when I get to do it like this today, obviously it's wonderful."
In the women's slalom, athletes complete two runs, with the combined time determining the final standings. Skiers who fail to finish the first run do not advance to the second, while those who fail to finish the second run are not classified.
China's Zhang Yuying failed to finish her second run after missing a gate. She had earlier completed the women's giant slalom, placing 54th.
"I came to the Olympics with a mindset of learning and gaining experience," Zhang said. "I'm very happy to compete and communicate with outstanding skiers from around the world. I've learned a lot in the process, and it's been an important step in my growth."
