Mikaela Shiffrin’s 3-race Olympic plan sets up a decisive week in Cortina—slalom legacy vs. giant slalom revival

Mikaela Shiffrin is heading into the heart of the Winter Games with a narrowed program and a clear trade-off: protect what’s become her most reliable medal pathway in slalom, while still chasing a meaningful return to form in giant slalom. The American star is slated to race three events, a reset from the heavier Olympic load she carried four years ago and a direct response to the risk-reward math of an Olympic week.

With races scheduled in Cortina d’Ampezzo over the coming days, the storyline tightens into one question: does she lean fully into a slalom legacy, or can she pair it with a timely giant slalom revival?

Mikaela Shiffrin’s 3-race Olympic plan, explained

Shiffrin’s plan centers on her two core technical disciplines—slalom and giant slalom—plus the women’s team combined. In that team event, her role is expected to be the slalom portion, leaning on the discipline where she has been the sport’s most consistent point-getter for years.

The logic is straightforward: three starts mean fewer chances for weather, snow conditions, or a single mistake to snowball into a multi-event spiral. It also reduces physical and mental wear at the exact moment Olympic courses demand maximum precision.

The timing matters. The schedule brings her through a compact sequence that puts her technical sharpness under pressure with little margin for error, and the team event adds a tactical wrinkle—her slalom run needs to be fast, but also “clean enough” to hand off a position her teammate can convert.

The Cortina week and why it’s pivotal

Cortina is where these Games turn from anticipation to execution. It’s also where slalom becomes less about reputation and more about a two-run test that punishes even tiny timing flaws.

Shiffrin enters with a season-long signal that her slalom is still her surest route. She has been dominant in slalom during the current World Cup season, separating herself through consistency and pace, especially on courses that reward early line choice and compact transitions.

Giant slalom is the tougher read. She has been working back toward her best level after a serious crash in 2024 disrupted continuity in the discipline. Recent results suggest progress—enough to make giant slalom a real medal possibility—but not enough to treat it as a guaranteed outcome. At the Olympics, that difference matters.

Slalom legacy: the cleanest path to a medal

If Shiffrin leaves these Games with a signature moment, slalom is the most direct stage for it. Her advantage in slalom has rarely been just raw speed; it’s her ability to limit risk while still skiing aggressively, especially in run two when the course gets rutted and the light can shift.

The pressure point is that Olympic slalom rarely allows a “B+” run. The difference between gold and no medal can be one late gate, one moment of hesitation, one inside ski that bites. Shiffrin’s track record has been built on avoiding those moments more often than anyone else.

In practical terms, slalom is also the event where her ceiling and floor are both high. Even on a day that doesn’t feel perfect, she’s capable of posting a run that keeps her in contention.

Giant slalom revival: the risk that could pay off

Giant slalom asks for a different kind of commitment—more speed, more open turns, and a bigger penalty for getting behind the rhythm. For Shiffrin, it’s also the event most tied to the idea of “revival,” because the last two seasons have included disruptions that made continuity harder than in slalom.

What makes this week intriguing is that her recent form has hinted at momentum. A podium in a pre-Games giant slalom earlier this winter signaled that her timing and confidence are trending up. In an Olympic setting, a single day of clean skiing can flip the narrative fast.

Still, giant slalom is where the field can compress, and where snow feel—how the skis bite at speed—can swing the results. That’s why her three-race approach matters: it keeps the focus tight and preserves energy for the events that require the most technical clarity.

What to watch in the next few days

• Team combined: The early test of how sharp her slalom rhythm is under Olympic pressure.

• Giant slalom: Whether she can stay aggressive without chasing, especially in the second run.

• Slalom: If she converts season-long dominance into a two-run performance that holds up when the course deteriorates.

The decisive factor may be less about tactics and more about execution under changing conditions. If the giant slalom snow stays consistent through both runs, it boosts the odds that her improving form shows up on the results sheet. If conditions get tricky, slalom still looks like her most stable medal route—because her defining edge has always been the ability to keep speed without letting the skis get away from her.

Sources consulted: Reuters; Associated Press; ESPN; Olympics.com