Mikaela Shiffrin Wins First Olympic Medal Since 2018 At Age 30

Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States has won the gold medal in the slalom event.

This is Shiffrin’s fourth Olympic medal, and her first since 2018. 

Slalom skiing is a highly technical version of alpine skiing. It features short and quick turns. The flags you usually see in alpine skiing are replaced with small poles that are spaced tightly, generally only six to 13 meters away from each other. 

Shiffrin won the gold medal in this event in the 2014 Winter Olympics. She was just 18 years old at the time, making her the youngest person to win a gold medal in slalom in Olympic history.

She won a gold medal in the 2018 Winter Olympics in the giant slalom. Giant slalom still features the short and quick turns, but with a larger flag replacing the small poles in slalom. Team USA also won the silver medal for combined alpine skiing.  

Shiffrin participated in six events in the 2022 Winter Olympics, but didn’t win a medal in any of them. She entered the 2026 Winter Olympics as a 30-year-old who many thought had already experienced her best days on the slopes.

Despite an eight-year drought for Olympic medals, Shiffrin won 11 world championship medals from 2019 to 2025. This included a gold medal in the giant slalom at the 2023 Meribel event. 

Shiffrin also competed in giant slalom at the 2026 Winter Olympics. She placed sixth in this event. Team USA finished in fourth place in women’s team combined alpine skiing. 

Although Shiffrin showed some impressive longevity with her gold medal, she’s not the only one who defeated Father Time. Federica Brignone of Italy won gold medals in giant slalom and Super-G. She is 35 years old, making her the oldest woman to ever win a gold medal in an alpine skiing event. 

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Article by Matthew Mendives