Mikaela Shiffrin’s Domination in Pyeongchang

Courtesy of Creative Commons

By Tyler Englander 2/17/2018

Mikaela Shiffrin turned in a dominant performance to win gold in the giant slalom. Shiffrin outpaced the field by being most the most aggressive and sound skier in extremely windy conditions in Pyeongchang. She won gold with a two-run combined time of 2:42. Ragnhild Mowinckel of Norway took the silver, thirty-nine seconds behind Shiffrin. Federica Brignone of Italy took the bronze medal. For Shiffrin, it was her second Olympic gold medal, but first in the giant slalom. Shiffrin finished fifth in the giant slalom in Sochi four year ago. After those Games, she said, “The next Olympics I go to, I’m sure as heck not getting fifth.”

The gold medal in the giant slalom is nice for Shiffrin, but she came to Pyeongchang looking to win two gold medals. She won the gold medal in the slalom four years ago in Sochi and is looking to do the same this year. The Women’s Slalom, Shiffrin’s best event is scheduled for Thursday night after it was delayed earlier this week due to high winds and unsafe conditions. When Shiffrin hits the slopes again, she will look to become the first women since 2002 to win both the slalom and giant Slalom.