Mikaela Shiffrin promised a strong comeback after finishing fourth on the second day of the giant slalom in Tremblant, Canada. She was placed sixth on the first day, as New Zealand skier Alice Robinson topped the standings.
Shiffrin has not been confident about racing in giant slalom, as a catastrophic crash in the previous season triggered her fear. Despite that, she has been finishing just narrowly outside the podium, showing signs that a better result may be on the horizon.
Mikaela Shiffrin Talks About Areas of Improvement After GS Fourth-Place Finish in Tremblant
Shiffrin recorded a total time of 2:14.17 after two runs and tied for fourth with Swiss skier Camille Rust. Having moved up two places on the second day in Tremblant, the most-decorated skier admitted that she made some errors but will ensure cleaning them up and carrying the momentum with high intensity in races moving forward. Seeing signs of making a podium finish soon, Shiffrin said:
“I had the chance to be in there within range. I’m just going to keep working on cleaning up any small errors and bring a higher intensity.”
READ MORE: Mikaela Shiffrin Issues Clarification on Injury Concerns During Finish Amid Missing Podium Position
The two-time Olympic champion was in contention in the giant slalom event at Copper Mountain as well, but her run only placed her 14th with a total time of 2:00.99. That was an underwhelming showing after she kicked off her season with a giant slalom race in Solden, shyly missing the podium by a fraction of a second.
A Look Back at Shiffrin’s Giant Slalom Crash in the 2024-25 Season
Shiffrin was chasing her 100th World Cup in the 2024-25 season when she suffered a harrowing crash during her giant slalom run in Stifel, Killington, on November 30, 2024. The 104-time World Cup winner lost an edge around the gate and fell head-on, sliding into the protective fencing.
She was immediately taken off the course on a sled and transferred to the medical center for examination. It soon came to light that she suffered a puncture wound in her abdomen, narrowly escaping organ loss. Besides surgery, Shiffrin had to undergo vacuum-cleaning of the old hematoma.
Since then, the skier has had episodes of mentally preparing herself for another giant slalom, which ultimately led her to withdraw from the GS title run at the 2025 World Alpine Skiing Championships.
The 30-year-old dominated the slalom races in the 2025-26 season and is the top-ranked in the Overall standings as well. She also qualified for the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, scheduled for February 2026.