U.S. alpine skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin captured gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, Feb. 18, delivering two exceptional slalom runs to secure the top spot on the podium.
The victory was especially meaningful as it came in slalom, her premier discipline and the event most closely associated with her dominance on the World Cup circuit. For the decorated Olympian, the performance unfolded almost flawlessly.
Following the win, Shiffrin shared an emphatic reaction on social media. Posting to her Instagram story, she wrote, “I won.” She followed that with, “I … won,” before adding, “This, right here, is the lottery, and I won. Oh, and I got a medal, too.”
She also expressed gratitude to supporters, writing, “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.”
With this result, Shiffrin’s Olympic medal tally rises to four, three gold medals and one silver.
In an earlier celebratory post, she addressed the mental pressure surrounding the event. “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,” she stated.
She elaborated on the intensity of the moment: “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.”
Speaking to NBC News after the race, Shiffrin emphasized that her focus was always on execution rather than outcome.
“The skiing is what I cared about, and of course, to win gold, that’s a dream come true,” she said. “But at some point this week, I just said, ‘Stop dreaming, just ski.’ This whole time has been waiting for two times 45 seconds today to be able to ski, and I’m so happy to do the right thing in the right moment.”
Her latest triumph further cements her legacy as one of the most accomplished alpine skiers of her generation.
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