02/18/26 04:05:00
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02/18 04:04 CST US star Mikaela Shiffrin darts to early lead in women's slalom
at Milan Cortina Olympics
US star Mikaela Shiffrin darts to early lead in women's slalom at Milan Cortina
Olympics
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) --- Mikaela Shiffrin is one clean run away from
ending an eight-year Olympic medal drought.
The American skiing star nailed her first trip through the women's slalom at
Tofane on Wednesday, her time of 47.13 giving her a healthy 0.82-second lead
over Germany's Lena Duerr among the early competitors.
The 30-year-old Shiffrin, the most decorated skier of all time, was quick out
of the gate but appeared to be in trouble after she stumbled through one gate
about halfway down. She recovered quickly and then pumped her first --- a rare
display of public emotion --- when she saw her time.
Cornelia Oehlund of Sweden was third, exactly one second back. Camille Rast of
Switzerland is fourth, 1.05 seconds back followed by Swiss teammate Wendy
Holdener.
Shiffrin slid into the starter's gate still looking for her first Olympic medal
in the Dolomites. A chance at gold in women's combined ended with a
fourth-place finish after a stunningly slow run in the slalom --- she was 15th
--- sent her and teammate Breezy Johnson tumbling off the podium.
Things weren't much better --- from a placement standpoint anyway --- during
the giant slalom on Sunday, where she was 11th. Yet Shiffrin remained upbeat,
pointing to the tight margin between herself and the medal stand ---
three-tenths of a second --- as proof she was rounding into form.
The reality is a medal in the giant slalom would have been a bonus. She came to
Tofane fresh off her first podium finish in the GS in two years and was hardly
considered a favorite.
Slalom, however, is different. Shiffrin has already locked up her ninth World
Cup season title in her best discipline thanks to seven firsts and a second in
eight starts.
Starting seventh beneath crisp bluebird conditions on a course that Team USA
officials described to her over the radio as a "high-tempo ripper," Shiffrin
was exquisite. Aggressive out of the gate --- her time over the first segment
was the fastest among the most accomplished racers --- her only wobble came
when she struck a gate.
For a fraction of a second, it appeared she was headed for another Olympic
disappointment. Not this time. She snapped back into form immediately, her hips
almost hypnotically guiding her legs back and forth as she rediscovered the
tempo and form that has made her a winner in this event more than 70 times over
her record-setting career.
One of those victories came in Sochi a dozen years ago, when Shiffrin stomped
her way to gold as a fresh-faced teenager. She's now considered perhaps the
greatest racer of all time, though one haunted by an 0 for 6 performance in
Beijing four years ago.
Shiffrin was adamant she had put those difficult few days in China behind her
when she arrived at the jagged edges of the Dolomites.
If she can put together a second run that mirrors her first, she probably will
have.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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