Shiffrin's Olympic Medal Drought Persists After Team Event Disappointment
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 marks her seventh consecutive Olympic race without a podium finish, extending a frustrating streak that began at the Beijing Games four years ago.
Team Effort Falls Just Short of Podium
The team combined event, making its Olympic debut, pairs one racer competing in downhill with another in slalom, with their combined times determining the final results. Shiffrin's teammate Breezy Johnson delivered a strong downhill leg, coming off her recent individual gold medal performance, but Shiffrin's slalom run proved insufficient to secure a medal position.
"I didn't quite find a comfort level that allows me to produce full speed," Shiffrin admitted after her run. "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."
The American team missed the bronze medal by a mere 0.06 seconds, finishing behind the other American duo of Jaqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan who claimed third place. Gold went to Austria's Ariane Raedler and Katharina Huber.
From Olympic Dominance to Persistent Struggles
Shiffrin's current Olympic struggles stand in stark contrast to her earlier Games performances, where she collected two gold medals and a silver across her first two Olympic appearances. The most successful World Cup racer in history, with a record 108 victories including 71 in slalom, has found Olympic success elusive in recent years.
At the Beijing Games, Shiffrin failed to medal in any of her six events, failing to finish three races and achieving her best individual result of ninth place in super-G. For the Milan Cortina Games, she has narrowed her focus to just three events in an attempt to regain her podium form.
Supportive Teammate and Childhood Friend
In the finish area, Johnson immediately embraced Shiffrin in a show of support between the childhood friends. Johnson had expressed her supportive attitude before Shiffrin's run, stating, "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 remains philosophical about her performance, emphasizing her commitment to learning from the experience. "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."
Looking Ahead to Individual Events
The American skiing star still has opportunities to break her Olympic slump with individual events in giant slalom and slalom remaining on her schedule. Her team radio provided encouragement before her run with the message, "No tricks here at all. Actually it's nothing to report. You got it," but Shiffrin ultimately lost time to leaders at every checkpoint, crossing 0.31 seconds behind the fastest time.
As the Olympic competition continues, all eyes will be on whether the most decorated World Cup skier in history can translate her dominant circuit performances into Olympic success once again.
