Mikaela Shiffrin says 'hard to process' winning third Winter Olympics gold medal 12 years on from first - 'It's crazy'
Published 18/02/2026 at 16:44 GMT
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Mikaela Shiffrin revealed that she still has not processed her gold medal from Sochi after securing victory in the slalom at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games. Shiffrin now has four Winter Olympic medals to her name after storming to victory by 1.5 seconds from Switzerland’s Camille Rast. The Winter Olympics is live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Watch: Shiffrin overcome with emotion after winning slalom gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
Mikaela Shiffrin revealed that she is still processing her gold medal success in Sochi 12 years ago after securing the second slalom Winter Olympic gold medal of her career.
The 30-year-old finished ahead of Switzerland’s Camille Rast and Sweden’s Anna Swenn-Larsson to take first place in the women's slalom at the Milano Cortina Games on Wednesday.
The gold took her Winter Olympic medal tally up to four in total, having also finished in first place in the giant slalom and second place in the combined in Pyeongchang in 2018.
Shiffrin admitted that she was still processing her first triumph after being asked how it felt to come out on top at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
"Yeah, it is pretty crazy," she said. "You know this moment, to cross the finish line, there are emotions, but somehow I find it’s not [that emotional].
"It is really hard to understand and to process, and I am always a little bit slow.
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Shiffrin showed 'different energy' to seal slalom gold after Beijing heartbreak
Video credit: TNT Sports
"Maybe in 10 years I will know, and maybe just today I realised what happened in Sochi.
"It's crazy, but it's also like this moment for yourself before all the chaos begins."
Shiffrin finished in a time of 1:39.10 to win the gold, 1.5 seconds ahead of her closest rival.
Rast crossed the finish line in 1:40.60, while Swenn-Larsson managed a time of 1:40.81 to take third place.
If you add up the difference between first and second in the slalom at every Winter Olympic Games between 1998 and 2002, then the total would only be 1.51 seconds, highlighting just how dominant the American's performance was.
Shiffrin revealed that she had been working with her psychologist to build up her confidence ahead of the Games.
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"A big, big thing I've been working on with my team and also with my psychologist, who is here, is that you have what you need within yourself, and I can't say that for giant slalom yet," Shiffrin said.
"I can't always say that in the start gate, but in the start gate today, I could say I have what I need within myself.
"That's because of a lot of work, it's because of a lot of people and a lot of support, but in this moment, it was there for me."
Shiffrin revealed that the victory was bittersweet as she was desperate to share it with all the people who made it possible.
"Like I could share this somehow with my team, in my heart with my team, with my family, with Alex, with my mum and with my dad," she added.
"But it's bittersweet to have this incredible moment and to not be able to share it with all the people that you love the most in the world.
"So it's also a moment to process that this happened and realise that this is real."
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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