Mikaela Shiffrin might have stayed on top of the highlights, but the competition resulted in a massive blow for the 30-year-old. Having already confessed her nervousness before the Grand Slalom at the Winter Olympics, the outcome turned out to be similar, as she failed to secure a medal for Team USA. Instead, two other names emerged on top of the line, serving an unexpected snub for the Olympic gold medalist.

The women’s giant slalom at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics turned out to be historic, not because of gold alone, but because two athletes shared silver in one of the rarest events in Olympic skiing history. While Mikaela Shiffrin missed out on a medal, Sara Hector and Thea Louise Stjernesund created headlines with similar results.

The Grand Slalom results saw Italian star Federica Brignone win gold with a combined time of 2:13.50, finishing just 0.62 seconds ahead of her closest rivals. But what stunned fans was the result behind her. Sweden’s Sara Hector and Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund finished with exactly the same total time. Adding more to the surprising conclusion, they recorded the exact same time in both runs, with 1:03.97 in the first run and 1:10.15 in the second run.

This rare tie ended up rewarding both athletes with silver medals. Stjernesund said, “I get to share the medal with dear Sara. What are the odds? … it was one in a million.” Hector, who had won Olympic gold in 2022, said she struggled in her second run but still valued the shared moment. While both of them stole the spotlight, the star entry Mikaela Shiffrin had to end up with disappointment.

She missed out on the podium after finishing 11th with a total time of 2:14.42, just about 0.30 seconds away from a medal position. Despite her strong effort, she could not match the speed of the medal winners. However, the unexpected outcome of a silver tie wasn’t just limited to this.

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Several other events at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics also saw athletes share medals. In the men’s team combined alpine skiing event, Austria and Switzerland shared the silver medal after finishing with the same total time, meaning no bronze medal was awarded.

Another rare tie happened in ski jumping (men’s normal hill individual), where athletes from Switzerland and Japan shared the bronze medal after recording identical results.

Despite the setback, it seems like Shiffrin hasn’t given up as she now looks forward to the upcoming Slalom event.

Mikaela Shiffrin admits to carrying the excitement to Slalom following the recent loss

Mikaela Shiffrin might have missed out on a medal in the giant slalom at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, but the American skiing legend remains hopeful amid preparations for her final event, the slalom. Despite finishing 11th in the giant slalom and fourth in the team event alongside Breezy Johnson, Shiffrin is focusing on the positives and using the experience to fuel her determination.

Won by Italy’s Federica Brignone, the giant slalom race was an important moment for Shiffrin, not just in terms of results but also confidence. After the race, she talked about the overall experience, mentioning how it built her base for the Slalom preparations.

“It was really helpful to get two runs down this hill. Of course, slalom is a totally different event and requires a different level of precision and quickness for sure,” Shiffrin said. “But to be able to stand in the start gate and feel the butterflies and the adrenaline and to turn that into intensity with my skiing and to put on the hill some of my highest level skiing was really exciting.”

The American star made it clear that she wants to carry this energy into her next race. “I would like to take that excitement into the slalom… so there is a level of wanting to do my skiing justice,” she added. “But I am here for the turns, for the skiing in between the start and the finish, and quieting down any other noise is probably the most important thing I can do.”

Despite a puncture injury setback back in 2024, Shiffrin maintained her dominant levels in slalom this season, winning seven out of eight World Cup races. With another major opportunity ahead of her, it still remains to be seen if she excels.