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Mikaela Shiffrin’s poignant dedication after historic gold

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Twelve years later, Mikaela Shiffrin has returned to win a gold medal in the slalom at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina. The U.S. champion dominated the race on Cortina’s Tofane Olympia, trimming one and a half seconds off Switzerland&#8217s Camille Rast, her first Olympic center. And also at the first center is Sweden&#8217s Anna Swenn-Larsson, who climbs the lowest step of the podium with a delay of 1″71 from the American.

Luca GiorgettiLindsey Vonn, tremendous fall and end of Olympic dream in Cortina: photos

Lindsey Vonn falls after very few seconds in the downhill on the Tofane Olympia at Milan-Cortina 2026.
Thus ends the attempt to rewrite history by the champion. Astonished audience.
The race is immediately stopped after the fall of the American champion.
She closes in tears the dream of winning an Olympic medal at 41 years old.

Vonn aimed to overtake compatriot Breezy Johnson, in the lead up to that point.
Started with bib 13, she chooses a very high line at the'entrance of the first crossbar.
He hits a goal with his right shoulder, loses his balance and falls ruinously.

The'impact takes place on the'Olympia of the Tofane, a track where he had already triumphed twelve times in his career.
The screams of pain of the champion break the silence of Cortina.

In previous days she had revealed the complete rupture of the cruciate ligament in Crans Montana.
The'injury had occurred in the'last World Cup race before the Olympics.
The first responders arrive immediately on the track after the fall.
Vonn is immobilized and loaded onto the toboggan by rescuers.
The'helicopter transports away the American champion from the Tofane.

“It&#8220s crazy, you only know these moments when you cross the finish line – admitted the 30-year-old ski star to Eurosport microphones – These are emotions that are hard to understand and process. Maybe I will understand it in 10 years. Only today do I understand that what I did in Sochi in 2014 (in which she won her first Olympic gold medal in slalom at only 18 years old, ed.)”.

“Before, I had been able to share this moment with my family, my team and also with my father (who passed away in 2020, ed.) – added Shiffrin. “It is bittersweet because now you cannot share it again with all the people you really care about. And you have to understand that this is success too, it’s like a new beginning, emotional for different reasons than what people think. I am very proud but also very grateful”.

“The dominance on the track despite the nervousness? It is something I have been working on with my team and my psychologist, it is what you need inside you. In giant slalom I can’t say I have it, but today I did. This is due to great work and great support of people behind me” concluded Shiffrin.

The American champion rises to four medals at the Winter Olympic Games: in addition to gold in the slalom at Sochi 2014 and Cortina 2026, Shiffrin won gold in the giant slalom at PyeongChang in 2018 and silver in the combined also in the South Korean edition.

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