Imagine the weight of an entire nation’s Olympic dreams resting on your shoulders as you hurtle down a mountain at breakneck speed. That’s the reality Mikaela Shiffrin faced during a tense slalom run at the Milan Cortina Games, a moment that became nothing short of a 'miracle' for her U.S. teammates. But here's where it gets controversial: Was it sheer pressure or something deeper that led to her uncharacteristically slow performance? Let’s dive into the gripping story of teamwork, triumph, and the unforgiving spotlight of Olympic glory.
The Alpine combined event is a fascinating twist on individual skiing, transforming it into a team effort. One skier tackles the downhill course, and their teammate later navigates a slalom run. Their times are combined, simple yet brutally effective. It’s a concept that’s as cool as it is cruel, layering the pressure of supporting a teammate on top of the already immense Olympic stress. As American skier Breezy Johnson put it, ‘Holding somebody else’s Olympic dream in your hand and trying to ski fast with it—it’s a lot of pressure.’
Johnson herself had already delivered a gold-medal performance just 48 hours earlier on the same Olimpia delle Tofane downhill course, a feat overshadowed only by Lindsey Vonn’s tragic crash. In the combined event, she finished first among 28 starters, edging out Austria’s Ariane Raedler by a mere .06 seconds. Her slalom partner? None other than Mikaela Shiffrin, her close friend and the greatest slalom racer in history. It seemed like the perfect setup for another gold—until it didn’t.
And this is the part most people miss: The emotional stakes were sky-high for Shiffrin, who was still grappling with the ghosts of her 2022 Beijing Games. There, she shockingly failed to complete the slalom, combined slalom, and giant slalom, leaving with no medals. Her return to dominance in slalom since then made her Olympic struggles even more confounding. Could she redeem herself in Cortina? Spoiler alert: It wasn’t that simple.
The drama didn’t stop with Shiffrin and Johnson. American Jackie Wiles, who finished a heartbreaking fourth in the downhill, placed fourth again in the combined downhill, positioning her for a potential first Olympic medal alongside her partner, Paula Moltzan. Moltzan, too, was chasing her first medal, adding another layer of tension. And let’s not forget the irony: At the previous year’s World Championships, Moltzan and her injured teammate Lauren Macuga had also finished in that dreaded fourth-place spot. History seemed determined to repeat itself.
As the afternoon slalom unfolded in a light snowfall, the German team took the lead, anchored by the rising star Emma Aicher, fresh off a silver in the downhill. Moltzan raced her team into second place, only to be bumped to third by Austria’s Katharina Huber. All eyes turned to Shiffrin, who started with Johnson’s .06-second advantage. On paper, it was a sure thing—Shiffrin had won seven of eight slalom races that season. But as NBC’s Steve Porino noted, she skied ‘with tension,’ finishing a staggering 15th in the slalom. She and Johnson ended up fourth, just shy of the podium. Had Shiffrin skied even a middling run, gold would’ve been theirs. To put it in perspective, the last time she finished 15th in a World Cup slalom was in 2012—when she was just 15 years old.
In the aftermath, Shiffrin was candid with U.S. journalists: ‘I didn’t find a comfort level that allowed me to produce full speed. I’ll have to learn how to do that before the next races.’ Her self-awareness is admirable, but it raises questions. While she’s entitled to narrate her experience, the statistics are hard to ignore: Such performances are virtually unheard of for her in World Cup races, the highest level of the sport. So, what’s different about the Olympics? Is it the pressure, the expectations, or something else entirely? The drought that began in Beijing and continued in Cortina remains baffling.
But here’s the silver lining: Even in her own moment of struggle, Shiffrin showered praise on Johnson’s downhill run, calling it inspiring. Her generosity with respect and admiration is a testament to her character. Moltzan, who trains and competes alongside Shiffrin, put it beautifully: ‘She’s a beautiful winner, but also a beautiful loser. And that takes a lot of skill.’
Shiffrin’s journey isn’t over. With the giant slalom and slalom events ahead, she remains a medal threat, if not a favorite. Yet, reconciling her recent Olympic performances with her legendary career is a challenge for fans and critics alike. As she steps back into the spotlight, one thing is clear: Nothing is granted, only earned. But here’s the question for you: Is Mikaela Shiffrin’s Olympic struggle a result of pressure, or is there something deeper at play? Let’s discuss in the comments—I want to hear your take!
