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US' Mikaela Shiffrin reacts in the finish area after the slalom run of the women's team combined event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Michael Kappeler/dpa
Mikaela Shiffrin is almost unbeatable in slalom on the World Cup circuit but had another Olympic race to forget on Tuesday as she blamed "a feeling under the feet."
The US superstar is the greatest World Cup skier of all time with a record 108 victories, 71 of which have come in slalom.
But in the slalom portion of the Winter Games team combined event on Tuesday, she was only 15th fastest, leading her to miss a medal despite downhill champion Breezy Johnson again excelling in the speed discipline.
Since her Olympic slalom gold in Sochi in 2014, she has struggled in her favourite event at three subsequent Winter Olympics, with a 2018 giant slalom victory and combined silver at least improving her Games figures.
Her explanation of Tuesday's problem shed little light on why there appears to be a difference between the regular season and Olympics for the 30-year-old. If it is extra pressure, she is not admitting to it.
“It's a feeling under the feet ... it's hard to explain. I want to be careful not to make excuses, because it's not really an excuse," she told reporters.
"It comes from a lot of different variables. (Skiing) is a sport of fine margins and this kind of thing happens more often than not in training, where it's like, 'I don't quite feel comfortable'."
Shiffrin has the chance to right the wrongs in the individual Olympic slalom race on Sunday.
"There's a certain amount of luck when it goes right, but there's also a feeling that I'm going to work, to achieve for the slalom race coming up," she added.
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US' Mikaela Shiffrin in action during the slalom run of the women's team combined event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Michael Kappeler/dpa
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