Shiffrin's Olympic Medal Drought Extends at Milan Cortina Games
American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin has seen her Winter Olympics medal drought continue, finishing fourth in the new team combined event at the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday. This disappointing result marks her seventh consecutive Olympic race without reaching the podium, despite a strong opening downhill performance from teammate Breezy Johnson.
Team Combined Event Sees Shiffrin Struggle
The team combined event, making its Olympic debut, pairs one racer competing in downhill with another in slalom, with combined times determining the final standings. Johnson delivered an impressive downhill leg for the American team, but Shiffrin couldn't match that performance in her slalom run.
"I didn't quite find a comfort level that allows me to produce full speed," Shiffrin admitted after the race. "So I'm going to have to learn what to do, what to adjust in the short time we have before the other tech races."
Close Finish Highlights Frustrating Day
Shiffrin crossed the finish line just 0.31 seconds behind the leaders, missing a medal by a heartbreaking 0.06 seconds to the other American team of Jaqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan, who secured bronze. The gold medal went to Austria's Ariane Raedler and Katharina Huber.
Despite encouragement over team radio telling her "No tricks here at all" and "You got it," Shiffrin lost time at every checkpoint during her slalom run on a course set by an Austrian coach.
Olympic History Contrasts with Current Form
This latest disappointment stands in stark contrast to Shiffrin's earlier Olympic success. The most successful World Cup racer of all time with 108 victories (including 71 in slalom), Shiffrin previously won two golds and a silver in her first two Olympic appearances.
However, her fortunes changed dramatically at the Beijing Games four years ago, where she failed to medal in any of her six races. Her best individual result in Beijing was ninth place in super-G, and she didn't finish three of her races.
Teammate Support and Future Prospects
In the finish area, Johnson - fresh from winning individual downhill gold - embraced her childhood friend and teammate. Johnson had expressed support before Shiffrin's run, saying: "I already have my gold medal. I hope that she has fun and does her best. But if anything happens I'm not going to be like, 'Oh you ruined anything.'"
Shiffrin still has opportunities to break her Olympic slump in the individual giant slalom and slalom events. For the Milan Cortina Games, she has narrowed her focus to just three events, hoping to rediscover the form that has made her a World Cup legend.
The American skier remains determined to learn from this experience, stating: "I want to be careful not to make excuses because it's not really an excuse ... I've been so prepared for all the slaloms this year. So there's something to learn from this day. And I'm going to learn it."
