Mikaela Shiffrin finishes 11th in giant slalom, continuing Olympic drought

Mikaela Shiffrin, who is the winningest athlete on the World Cup circuit, has now failed to win a medal in eight straight Olympic events since the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang. World Mikaela Shiffrin fails to make the podium in women's giant slalom as Olympic drought continues By Lucia I Suarez Sang Lucia I Suarez Sang Associate Managing Editor Lucia Suarez Sang is an associate managing editor at CBSNews.com. Previously, Lucia was the director of digital content at FOX61 News in Connecticut and has previously written for outlets including FoxNews.com, Fox News Latino and the Rutland Herald. Read Full Bio Lucia I Suarez Sang Updated on: February 15, 2026 / 9:40 AM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Mikaela Shiffrin's Olympic drought continues after she missed the podium of the Milano Cortina Games women's giant slalom on Sunday, finishing in 11th place.The U.S. standout had a combined time of 2:14.42. Her runs were clean but just not quick enough to challenge for a podium spot. She didn't show any outward signs of disappointment after her second run, blowing out her cheeks and waving to the fans in the grandstand with both hands. Mikaela Shiffrin of Team USA competes during the Women's Giant Slalom at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 15, 2026, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Christophe Pallot / Agence Zoom / Getty Images The 30-year-old, who is the winningest athlete on the World Cup circuit, has now failed to win a medal in eight straight Olympic events since the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang.Italy's Federica Brignone took home the top prize, her second gold medal of these Games and her fifth medal overall. Remarkably, it was a split silver medal after Sweden's Sara Hector and Norway's Thea Stjernesund posted the same time in both the first and second runs.After Brignone crossed the line to loud cheers from the home crowd, Hector and Stjernesund ran into the finish area and bowed down to the champion to a backdrop of chants of "Fede" from fans. Italian gold medalist Federica Brignone is congratulated by Thea Louise Stjernesund, of Norway, and Sara Hector, of Sweden, at the Women's Giant Slalom at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Ezra Shaw / Getty Images "That was, like, the greatest show of GS skiing that we've had in a really long time," Shiffrin said. "And to do it, you know, at the Olympics where people actually have eyes on the sport. Federica skied incredible. That was so cool to watch."Redemption for Shiffrin, who came in fourth place with teammate Breezy Johnston in the women's team combined event on Thursday, could come at her best event — the slalom — on Wednesday. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Milan Winter Olympics 2026 More After struggling early, U.S. men's hockey team dispatches Denmark 6-3