Mikaela Shiffrin stands as a towering figure in Alpine skiing, her name synonymous with excellence and resilience. With an unprecedented 108 World Cup victories, she has cemented her legacy as the most successful skier in the history of the sport—male or female. This remarkable achievement becomes even more extraordinary when viewed through the lens of profound personal adversity. Over the past five years, Shiffrin has navigated the turbulent waters of devastating loss, post-traumatic stress disorder, and significant injury, all while maintaining her position at the pinnacle of competitive skiing.
The Olympic Games, however, represent the one frontier where Shiffrin's dominance has not fully matched expectations. As she prepares for her fourth Olympic appearance in Cortina d'Ampezzo, the 30-year-old American carries with her both the weight of past disappointments and a renewed sense of purpose. Her performance at the 2022 Beijing Games—where she failed to reach the podium despite being favored in multiple events—left a lingering question mark that she admits she is "still trying to understand."
Shiffrin's Olympic journey began in spectacular fashion. At just 18 years old during the 2014 Sochi Games, she captured gold in slalom, becoming the youngest athlete ever to win that event. The victory catapulted her to instant stardom, with media outlets praising the teenager's poise under pressure and technical mastery. By 2018 in PyeongChang, she had evolved into the world's top-ranked female skier, adding another gold medal in giant slalom to her collection. These early successes positioned her as the heir apparent to break one of skiing's most hallowed records: Ingemar Stenmark's 86 World Cup wins.
What followed was a period of unprecedented dominance that seemed to confirm her destiny as the greatest of all time. In 2019, Shiffrin delivered one of the greatest seasons in Alpine skiing history, racking up wins across multiple disciplines. She demonstrated remarkable versatility by contending across all four individual disciplines—a rare feat in a sport where athletes typically specialize in either technical events (slalom and giant slalom) or speed events (downhill and super-G). Her mastery extended so far that in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, she achieved the remarkable distinction of winning a World Cup race in every single discipline, cementing her status as the most complete skier of her generation.
Then came the life-altering tragedy that would reshape everything. In February 2020, Shiffrin's father, Jeff, died unexpectedly after a fall from the roof of their family home in Colorado. The loss shattered the foundation of her world. Jeff had been not just a father but a constant presence in her career, a source of technical knowledge and emotional support who had been there for every step of her journey from child prodigy to global superstar. Shiffrin immediately left the World Cup circuit and stepped away from competition for nearly a year, retreating from the public eye to grieve with her family.
The grief was all-consuming, but its ripple effects extended far beyond emotional pain. When Shiffrin finally returned to racing, she discovered that the trauma had manifested in unexpected and debilitating ways. She developed post-traumatic stress disorder that affected her ability to perform under pressure. Simple tasks that had once been automatic now triggered anxiety. The starting gate, once a place of focus and calm, became a source of psychological turmoil. The connection between mind and body that is so crucial in a sport measured in hundredths of a second had been disrupted.
Compounding these challenges, Shiffrin also faced physical setbacks. A back injury further complicated her return to form, creating a perfect storm of mental and physical obstacles that would test her resolve in ways she had never imagined. The combination of grief, PTSD, and injury created a cycle that was difficult to break: physical pain exacerbated mental distress, which in turn made it harder to heal and train effectively.
The 2022 Beijing Olympics arrived at what was arguably the most vulnerable moment of her career. Expectations remained sky-high—perhaps unfairly so given what she had endured. The results were disappointing by her standards: no medals, several DNFs (Did Not Finish), and a very public struggle that played out on the world's biggest stage. For an athlete accustomed to winning, the experience was humbling and painful. But it also provided clarity and a new perspective on what truly mattered.
Now, as Cortina approaches, Shiffrin has made a strategic decision that reflects both wisdom and self-awareness. Rather than spreading herself across multiple events as she has in previous Games, she will focus her energy on just three competitions: slalom, giant slalom, and the team combined event. This narrowed approach allows her to channel her preparation and mental energy into her strongest disciplines while managing the physical and emotional demands of Olympic competition.
"I've been to four different Games and they've been four wildly different experiences," Shiffrin reflected during a recent press conference. "Being able to show up to Cortina wide-eyed and still just as excited and motivated as the first is really great."
Her excitement is palpable, but it is tempered by experience. The youthful exuberance of her 18-year-old self has been replaced by a deeper, more nuanced understanding of what it means to compete at this level. She knows that Olympic success requires not just physical preparation but mental fortitude—a quality she has developed through her most difficult trials. The setbacks have taught her patience, self-compassion, and the importance of process over outcome.
In slalom, Shiffrin remains the skier to beat. Her technical precision and ability to maintain speed through the tightest of turns are unmatched. The event has always been her specialty, the place where her unique gifts shine brightest. The giant slalom presents a similar opportunity, where her blend of power and finesse makes her a top contender. The team combined event, which pairs her strengths with those of her American teammates, offers a chance for collective glory and a different kind of pressure—one that is shared rather than solitary.
The decision to limit her program speaks to a broader evolution in Shiffrin's approach to her career. The relentless pursuit of records and all-around dominance has given way to a more sustainable model—one that prioritizes quality over quantity, focus over breadth. It is the approach of an athlete who has learned the hard way that peak performance requires not just talent but preservation. She no longer feels the need to prove she can do everything; instead, she wants to do what she does best, and do it exceptionally well.
Her 108 World Cup victories tell a story of sustained excellence that transcends any single competition. Each win represents a day when everything clicked—when preparation met opportunity and execution matched intention. They are a testament to her ability to rise again and again, even when circumstances seemed insurmountable. This record, which once seemed unbreakable, now belongs to her, and it grows with each passing season.
As Cortina d'Ampezzo prepares to welcome the world's best skiers, Shiffrin carries with her the lessons of the past four years. She has learned that grief does not have a timeline, that mental health is as important as physical conditioning, and that sometimes the bravest thing an athlete can do is to acknowledge their limitations. She has learned that success is not linear, and that setbacks can be setups for comebacks.
The Olympic stage has always been about more than medals for Shiffrin. It is about representing her country, honoring her father's memory, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in her sport. This time, however, the stakes feel different. They are not about proving her greatness to the world—that has already been established beyond doubt. Instead, they are about proving to herself that she can still find joy in the sport that has given her so much, even after it has taken so much away.
With three events on her schedule and a lifetime of experience in her heart, Mikaela Shiffrin approaches these Olympics not as a prodigy or a record-chaser, but as a complete athlete—one who has been broken and rebuilt, who has stared down her darkest moments and emerged with her passion intact. The medals, if they come, will be sweet validation of her journey. But the true victory lies in her presence at the start gate, ready once again to dance down the mountain she loves, wide-eyed and motivated as ever.