CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Wednesday, February 18, 2026 — We knew she could and she did! Vail, Colorado hometown skier, Mikaela Shiffrin, has won the gold medal.
From the Vail Daily, Ryan Sederquist:
Mikaela Shiffrin‘s Olympic dry spell is over.
On Wednesday morning in Cortina, the 9-time slalom crystal globe winner parlayed a 0.82-second first-run lead into her third-career gold medal — and first since 2018. Ever since her fourth-place finish at those Games, Shiffrin has dealt with the disconnect between her World Cup dominance and the opinion of a general public that only tunes into the sport every quadrennial. The 108-time World Cup winner infamously went 0-for-6 at the Beijing Olympics, dropped from first to fourth in the team combined last week and placed 11th in the giant slalom on Sunday.
“I’ve cared so much about wanting everybody to know the reality and to not want to answer those questions,” Shiffrin said. “I’ve felt that way since taking fourth in South Korea. It’s been so long that I’ve felt tired of questions that don’t feel like they line up with the reality of our sport. But in order to do this today, I needed to accept the possibility that those questions would keep coming.”
I was ringing my collectors cowbell from the 2014 local watch party where she won her first Olympic gold medal.
Mikaela writes on her Instagram page:
I won!
I got there, in the face of fear and adrenaline and the potential for criticism and backlash from people who know nothing and don’t even try to understand.
I won.
I stood in the start gate, and looked out at the mountain and the course ahead and my heartbeat nearly fell out of my butt. Still, when the countdown started, I pushed. I pushed to chase, I pushed to earn. I pushed to dare and to dream. I pushed to believe.
I won.
I questioned all that I’ve learned in life, multiple times this week. I questioned what kind of grit I have in my heart and I wondered if I should be doing this at all. I questioned my toughness and tenacity. I questioned it all. And then I left those questions behind, and stepped into the arena anyway.
I won.
I learned and grew with my team. We have communicated and stood strong for each other. They have stood strong for me. In knowing what we would expose ourselves to on this path, in knowing what demands would lie ahead—they still chose to show up with me. They choose that every day.
I won.
I looked around at all of my peers and competitors. I wondered if they too felt this way. I felt a shot moment of resentment… why do you all have to be so damn good at this too? Why can’t it be easier? And then, I felt immense appreciation. Thank you for pushing me. Thank you for always being kind and understanding and fierce and strong. Thank you for either leading the way, or following right behind, so that we, together, can break barriers and raise the level of our sport.
I won. I fucking won. This, right here, is the lottery and I won.
Oh, and I got a medal too.
Mikaela Shiffrin Wikipedia page —
She has had a fantastic racing career since that first Olympics. More from the Vail Daily.
Having gone without a medal in her last eight Olympic races, Shiffrin cried tears of joy at the finish area, where she embraced her mom, Eileen. The 30-year-old told the media afterwards that her father, Jeff, who died at 65 in an accident at the family’s home in Edwards in 2020, was on her mind the entire time.
“This was a moment I have dreamed about — I’ve also been very scared of this moment,” Shiffrin stated. “Everything in life that you do after you lose someone you love is like a new experience. And I still have so many moments where I resist this. I don’t want to be in life without my dad. And maybe today was the first time that I could actually accept this, like, reality.”
More great photos that tell the story.
Watch her ski! 51.97 seconds of pure gold. It was so much fun. I was ringing my cowbell while screaming Go! Go! Go!.
- Since 2021, Shiffrin has been in a relationship with the Norwegian World Cup alpine ski racer Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.[22] On April 4, 2024, the couple announced their engagement.[23]
We are all rooting for the new Colorado team, the Denver Summit. They play the team opener at Empower Field at Mile High; where the Denver Broncos play. Then at Dicks Sporting Goods park until the teams new home, Centennial Stadium, is being built. Mikaela Shiffrin is part owner. She is destined for a great future. And it appears Colorado is enthusiastic for the new team given the home opener ticket sales!
Previous author diary about Mikaela Shiffrin.
#gcd
