Entering the women’s combined team slalom on Tuesday, Mikaela Shiffrin knew the writing on the wall: win her first Olympic medal since 2018. However, a 0.06-second difference added one more to her unfortunate streak of seven straight Olympic races without a medal.

“I’ve watched Shiffrin for years, she looked agitated and caught off-guard in the starting gate and couldn’t get into her run…having said that, it’s split seconds off the gold. She’ll be back next week,” a fan wrote about the 30-year-old.

On February 9, after her partner Breezy Johnson was flawless in the downhill and Team USA was in the bronze medal spot, the door was open for Mikaela Shiffrin to finish the job. But Shiffrin lost time to the leaders at every checkpoint and crossed 0.31 seconds behind. By the time she reached the middle section, the +0.600 advantage the USA had was gone.

She made the charge eventually, but it was too late.

Shiffrin dropped from the 1st to the 4th place, finishing with a combined time of 2:21.97. Austria’s Ariane Rädler and Katharina Huber won the gold. Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and Emma Aicher of Germany earned silver. Paula Moltzan and Jacqueline Wiles of the U.S. took bronze.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

“Usually, Mikaela is the best slalom skier, and we expected her to be super good in this slalom today, too,” Weidle-Winkelmann said. “But this is also slalom. You never know.”

Mikaela Shiffrin’s slalom run looked visibly tense. In fact, Shiffrin herself confessed that she wasn’t happy with her comfort level in the first race.

“I didn’t quite find a comfort level that allows me to produce full speed,” she said.

The combined time posted by Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin did come close, just 0.06 seconds behind other Americans Paula Moltzan and Jacqueline Wiles, who secured bronze. Such a tiny margin would have only deepened the heartbreak. But turns out Shiffrin was ready for such curveballs.

“Things won’t go according to plan – and that’s okay,” Shiffrin clarified her mindset before reaching the Olympics.

However, her fans are still concerned about how Shiffrin looked in her first Olympic event today.

Fans reel over Mikaela Shiffrin falling short again

One of the fans wrote, “Mikaela Shiffrin and the Olympics just not a match, are they? Gobsmacking that she’s missed the podium in the women’s team combined.”

On the surface, it sounds harsh, but when you consider what Shiffrin has been through, the reaction makes sense. After taking two golds and a silver from her first two Olympics, Shiffrin returned without a single medal at the 2022 Beijing Games despite competing in six events.

She finished with a DNF in three of the events, and while she helped the U.S. reach the final in the mixed team parallel event, they ultimately finished fourth. Unfortunately, history has a way of repeating itself.

After watching her perform today, another fan said, “Just gutted for Mikaela Shiffrin. Seen as the greatest skier of all time… but has been atrocious in comparison at the Olympics. And that continues today.”

While a third noted, “Ugh, Mikaela Shiffrin did not bring her A-game. Happy for Moltzan/Wiles to take the bronze. #TeamUSA #Olympics2026.” Their frustration was understandable given how high expectations are for her.

In the World Cup this season, Mikaela Shiffrin has been nearly unstoppable. She secured her ninth slalom season title, a record in the sport, and extended her career wins to over 108, more than any other alpine skier in history. She has consistently won major slalom races and came into the Olympics as a favorite in her strongest events.

That contrast explains the fan feelings. Another one chimed in with, “Shiffrin underperforming shows that even top athletes can crack under pressure, proving talent alone doesn’t guarantee gold.” While a Polish fan simply added his father’s reaction to Shiffrin’s loss: “My dad got offended at Michaela for that🙄”

However, while her first event in the 2026 Olympics didn’t go as planned, Mikaela Shiffrin still has two individual races ahead: Women’s giant slalom on February 15 and the Women’s slalom on February 18. This means two more chances to go after that gold. Hopefully, she makes the best out of it.