Mikaela Shiffrin won slalom gold. © ANSA / DANIEL DAL ZENNARO

Shiffrin's show of power and a drama

Mikaela Shiffrin crowned herself Olympic slalom champion on Wednesday in Cortina d'Ampezzo – and did so with a show of power.

February 18, 2026

From: dl

In perfect conditions in Cortina, Shiffrin kept her composure in the final after a dominant first-half lead, winning by 1,50 seconds ahead of Switzerland's Camille Rast. Sweden's Anna Swenn-Larsson took bronze. This was Shiffrin's third Olympic gold medal overall.

After failing to score any medals four years ago in Beijing, Shiffrin was under immense pressure, having missed out on points in the team combined and giant slalom in Cortina. The best slalom skier of all time kept her composure and raced to her second Olympic victory in her favorite discipline. The now 30-year-old had won her first twelve years earlier in Sochi.

The Dürr drama

There was still drama in the second run, though. Lena Dürr, who was second at the halfway point, straddled a gate at the very first gate(!) in the final – unbelievable, really. But that's just the kind of thing that happens in sports. The 34-year-old German missed out on her first Olympic slalom medal. Rast and Swenn-Larsson, on the other hand, each won their first medal at the Games.

Lena Dürr straddled the first goal in the final. © APA/afp / STEFANO RELLANDINI

The only South Tyrolean, Anna Trocker, was eliminated in the first round. The best Italian finishers were Martina Peterlini and Lara Della Mea, who tied for 13th place. With that, all the ski races at the Olympic Games are now over. The women's World Cup continues next weekend with the speed races in Soldeu, Andorra.