High above the jagged peaks of the Italian Alps, Mikaela Shiffrin stood at the top of the podium once again. After eight long years without an Olympic medal, the American produced two sublime runs to win the women’s slalom by a commanding 1.50sec – the third-largest margin of victory in Olympic history for the event. In doing so, she became the first American skier to claim three Olympic alpine gold medals and further cemented her status as the greatest alpine skier of her generation.
The setting in the Dolomites was spectacular. The skiing was even better. Leading by 0.82sec after a blistering first run, Shiffrin held her nerve in the second, overcoming a brief wobble to deliver a performance no rival could touch. When she crossed the finish line, the release of emotion was immediate. The Swiss silver medallist Camille Rast and Sweden’s bronze medallist Anna Swenn Larsson embraced her before she shared a long, tearful hug with her mother and coach, Eileen.
