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Mikaela Shiffrin is some of the decorated American alpine skiers of all time, and he or she added one other milestone to her legacy on February 18, 2026, in Milano on the Winter Olympics. The U.S. star captured gold in the ladies’s slalom, ending an eight-year Olympic medal drought and reasserting her dominance on the world stage.
“I’ve been very grateful to the team, to my coaches and everybody around me who helped me deal with the thing that’s essentially the most meaningful, which is powerful skiing, strong turns — just proper skiing,” Shiffrin said. “And that’s what I got to do today.”
Here’s all the things you want to find out about her below.
Mikaela Shriffin Is an Olympic Gold Medalist Skier
Mikaela Pauline Shiffrin, born March 13, 1995, is some of the decorated alpine skiers in Olympic history. She won her first gold medal in slalom on the 2014 Sochi Games, becoming the youngest Olympic slalom champion on the time. She added one other gold in giant slalom and a silver in alpine combined on the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
On the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano, Shiffrin captured one other gold in slalom. Known primarily for her dominance in slalom and giant slalom, she has also competed in speed events like super-G and downhill, showcasing her versatility across disciplines.
Mikaela Is Also a World Record Holder
Shiffrin has rewritten the record books throughout her profession. In 2023, she surpassed Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark’s long-standing record for essentially the most Alpine Skiing World Cup wins, becoming the winningest skier — male or female — in World Cup history. She has continued so as to add to that total, extending her lead with victories across multiple disciplines.
Shiffrin has been especially dominant in slalom, where she previously broke the record for many wins in a single World Cup discipline. Over time, she has battled rivals like Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova in a few of the sport’s most dramatic races, often coming from behind to secure narrow victories.
“Any time you’re capable of be slightly bit faster than Petra, that’s an incredible job,” Mikaela said in 2022, per CNN. “She’s so strong, she’s making no mistakes, she’s skiing slalom the best way it’s meant to be skied. It’s impressive. It’s really special to observe that. It’s a special season she’s had up to now. It’s not stopping tonight, that’s needless to say.”
She Added to Her Olympic Legacy in 2026
Heading into the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Shiffrin was already amongst essentially the most decorated American alpine skiers in history, trailing only legends like Julia Mancuso and Bode Miller in total Olympic medals. While Beijing didn’t bring the medal haul she had hoped for, Shiffrin returned to the Olympic stage on the 2026 Winter Games in Milano and captured one other gold medal in slalom, further strengthening her place in U.S. skiing history.
With multiple Olympic gold medals across her profession, Shiffrin stays among the many elite company of ladies who’ve won three or more Olympic golds in alpine skiing. As she continues competing at the best level, she has the chance to climb even higher on the all-time Olympic medal lists.
She’s Engaged to Fellow Alpine Skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde
Shiffrin is engaged to Norwegian alpine skiing star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, considered one of the highest men’s speed-event racers on the earth. The couple went public with their relationship in 2021 and have incessantly supported one another through World Cup seasons, Olympic competitions and injury recoveries.
In April 2024, Shiffrin and Kilde announced their engagement, sharing the news with fans on social media. Each athletes have spoken openly about balancing their relationship with the demands of elite competition, often training and racing on different circuits while staying connected during long stretches apart.
She Has Spoken Concerning the Pressures of Being an Olympian
Shiffrin has been candid in regards to the intense expectations that include being considered one of Team USA’s biggest stars. Following the broader conversation around athlete mental health on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she acknowledged the burden of public pressure heading into Beijing in 2022.
“The pressure is all the time there, and also you live with it, and also you let it drive you,” she told the Associated Press. “But in addition, you’ll be able to’t let it dominate you, can’t let it take over your mentality.” Shiffrin said that some folks view that Olympians need to win “gold or else that’s an enormous disappointment,” which only increases the stress on competitors.
“It even went a step beyond that. It wouldn’t have been a ‘disappointment;’ people just didn’t even consider it a possibility. And what I do know from that type of pressure is: It just isn’t easy to win. Ever.”