Ahead of the World Cup season opener, Mikaela Shiffrin is setting her sights on the 2026 Winter Olympics with a renewed sense of focus and maturity.
The 30-year-old American skier, already regarded as the greatest of all time with 101 World Cup victories and 157 podium finishes, admitted during a press conference that she feels “wiser, but also like I know nothing.” As she enters the 2025–26 season, uncertainty and reflection define her mindset.
Although she has two Olympic gold medals, Shiffrin acknowledges that her legacy among casual fans often hinges on her Olympic performances something she’s eager to redefine after leaving the 2022 Games without a medal. “It’s not about unfinished business,” she said, “but about making peace.”
This season, Shiffrin plans to focus on slalom, giant slalom, and the team combined at the Milano-Cortina Games, while still keeping her World Cup ambitions in sight. “I’m as motivated as ever,” she said, “but I’m being realistic. I’m taking the season step by step.”
Recovering from a serious abdominal injury sustained in a giant slalom crash last year, Shiffrin has spent the summer rebuilding her confidence and control. Training at Copper Mountain, she emphasized the importance of getting comfortable on rougher courses conditions she expects to face in Sölden, Austria, where the World Cup kicks off this weekend.
Her fiancé, Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, is also on the comeback trail after a life-threatening crash in 2024. Shiffrin described his rehabilitation journey as “relentless” and credited him with inspiring her own resilience.
Looking ahead, Shiffrin is likely to skip some speed events but hopes to test herself in super-G at St. Moritz in December. Above all, she’s determined to find balance between personal goals and public expectations.
Excited that the upcoming Olympics will take place in familiar territory, she said of Cortina d’Ampezzo: “It’s one of the best places I ski. Hopefully, good winter conditions will follow.”
In short, Shiffrin enters the 2026 Olympic season not chasing redemption, but searching for peace, performance, and perspective on her own terms.
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