Mikaela Shiffrin Olympics 2026: why her first races have been tense, how Paula Moltzan grabbed bronze, and what comes next for Team USA’s tech stars

Mikaela Shiffrin’s Olympics 2026 storyline is suddenly less about inevitability and more about adjustment. In the first stretch of the Winter Games, the most decorated technical skier of her generation has looked human, cautious at times, and openly frustrated with the fine margins that separate a clean run from a costly one. That backdrop makes Team USA’s early results feel split-screen: Paula Moltzan has already landed on the podium, while Shiffrin is still searching for the comfort level that turns her precision into medals.

As of Thursday, February 12, 2026, ET, the clearest snapshot is this: the new women’s team combined delivered a U.S. bronze through Wiles and Moltzan on Tuesday, February 10, while Shiffrin and downhill partner Breezy Johnson finished fourth after a slalom leg that never fully clicked.

What happened in Shiffrin’s first Olympic starts

Shiffrin’s opening week has been defined by a new format and an old problem: the Olympics punish even slightly imperfect timing.

In the women’s team combined on February 10, Johnson put down a strong speed run that kept the U.S. firmly in contention. Shiffrin then took the slalom leg with a chance to bring the team onto the podium, but she skied conservatively and lost too much time on a course where the leaders attacked. The result was fourth place, the most painful finish in elite sport because it offers no medal and no buffer for “almost.”

Afterward, Shiffrin did not hide the underlying issue. She described struggling to find a comfort level that would let her produce full speed, and pointed to the urgent need to adjust quickly with the core technical races still ahead.

Paula Moltzan’s breakthrough: what her bronze signals

Moltzan’s bronze in the team combined matters for more than one reason.

First, it is a tangible result in a Games where confidence can swing wildly. Alpine skiing is brutally psychological: a small doubt at the wrong time becomes a late line, a missed gate, or a cautious approach that bleeds tenths everywhere. A medal early can stabilize an athlete’s week and sharpen risk-taking in later races.

Second, Moltzan’s podium validates the depth strategy Team USA brought to Cortina. The combined format rewards teams that can field reliable speed athletes and technical closers who can hold nerve under a scoreboard countdown. Moltzan delivered exactly that, turning a medal opportunity into a medal.

Third, it subtly reshapes internal expectations. When a teammate breaks through, the standard shifts from “hope for a moment” to “prove we can repeat it.”

Behind the headline: why Shiffrin’s margins look so thin right now

Shiffrin’s public comments offer a clue to what’s happening: she is not feeling the freedom that usually defines her best slalom and giant slalom runs.

That can come from multiple, overlapping pressures. The Olympics amplify consequences in a way the World Cup rarely does. Every gate is a referendum, every split time a headline. Even athletes who thrive on pressure can get pulled into micro-managing their skiing instead of trusting rhythm.

There is also the schedule effect. The women’s events in this phase of the Games demand rapid shifts in mindset between formats and courses. A skier can go from a tactical, scoreboard-aware combined leg to the pure aggression required in giant slalom, then back to the quickness and audacity of slalom. If the feel is slightly off, the Olympics are the worst place to “ski yourself into form.”

Meanwhile, Moltzan’s medal shows the other side of the coin: when the timing hits, the podium is there for the taking.

What we still don’t know

Several key pieces will determine whether Shiffrin’s Olympics 2026 turns into a medal haul or a story about near misses:

• Whether her “comfort level” issue is course-specific or a broader confidence and setup problem

• How her equipment choices and tactical approach evolve across the next two tech races

• Whether Team USA’s early success in combined events translates into individual medals in giant slalom and slalom

• How course conditions and visibility trends affect racers who rely on feel and rhythm

What comes next for Shiffrin and Moltzan: realistic scenarios and triggers

The next major pivot points are the women’s giant slalom on Sunday, February 15, 2026, ET, and the women’s slalom on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, ET.

Here are the most realistic paths forward:

1. Shiffrin rebounds immediately if she finds a setup that lets her ski aggressively from the first split, turning early tentativeness into a clean, attacking giant slalom.

2. Moltzan builds on her bronze if the medal unlocks freer skiing, especially in a slalom where momentum and confidence often matter as much as line choice.

3. Team USA doubles its medal count in tech events if both athletes peak at the right moment, creating pressure on rivals who expect Shiffrin to surge late.

4. The tight margins persist if Shiffrin continues to ski without full trust, leaving her vulnerable to a small mistake or a run that is “safe” but not fast enough.

Right now, the headline is not that Shiffrin is done, or that Moltzan’s moment was a one-off. It’s that the U.S. women’s technical group has two very different energies at the same Games: one athlete already on the podium, and another racing the clock to rediscover the speed that usually looks automatic.