Shiffrin and Brignone Steal Olympic Spotlight After Vonn’s Devastating Crash

While Lindsey Vonn's comeback attempt ended in a heartbreaking crash, American Mikaela Shiffrin and Italy's Federica Brignone emerged as the real stars of Olympic alpine skiing. Both champions overcame significant setbacks to claim gold medals in dramatic fashion.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – While Lindsey Vonn drew worldwide attention with her ambitious return to Olympic competition, it was American skiing legend Mikaela Shiffrin and Italy’s Federica Brignone who ultimately stole the show on the alpine slopes.

Vonn’s inspiring story of attempting to become the oldest Olympic alpine medalist at age 41, despite battling a severe knee injury, captivated audiences worldwide. However, her dreams came to a devastating end when she suffered a horrific crash during the downhill event, her screams echoing across the mountain as she was airlifted to the hospital.

The dramatic accident overshadowed teammate Breezy Johnson’s surprising gold medal victory in that same downhill race. The 30-year-old Johnson claimed Olympic glory despite never winning a World Cup event and having just one podium finish this season, adding the Olympic crown to her world championship from the previous year.

Johnson’s unexpected triumph set the stage for more remarkable comeback stories to unfold.

Brignone’s journey reads like a movie script. The 35-year-old Italian was riding high as giant slalom world champion when disaster struck last April – a devastating multiple leg fracture that left many wondering if her racing career was over.

Fighting her way back from that injury, Brignone entered her home Olympics with modest expectations, simply hoping to participate. Instead, she delivered what can only be described as miraculous performances.

In the super-G, Brignone completely dominated the field, defeating France’s Romane Miradoli by a commanding 0.41 seconds.

“I told myself that it was a ‘make it or break it’, but I never thought I would win,” Brignone reflected.

But her fairy tale wasn’t finished. Brignone went on to capture a second gold medal in the giant slalom, completing an incredible double victory.

“I think my secret was not to feel any pressure, just to be happy to be here,” she explained.

Meanwhile, Shiffrin faced her own mountain to climb. The World Cup’s most successful racer, with a record-breaking 108 victories, hadn’t claimed Olympic gold since 2018. Her struggles continued early in these Games when she and Johnson finished fourth in the team combined event, missing out on a medal after Austria’s Ariane Raedler and Katharina Huber took the victory.

Things looked even bleaker when Shiffrin managed only 11th place in the giant slalom, a discipline that has troubled her mentally since a serious crash at the end of 2024.

“When I think about where I was last year I was like, ‘I don’t know, maybe I’ll never race again.’ So here we are in a totally different position,” Shiffrin said, trying to find silver linings after the giant slalom disappointment.

Having left the 2022 Beijing Olympics without any medals despite high expectations, Shiffrin faced the very real possibility of another empty-handed departure.

But with one final opportunity in the slalom, Shiffrin rose to the occasion spectacularly. She didn’t just win – she absolutely demolished the competition.

Her margin of victory over Switzerland’s Camille Rast, the only skier to defeat her in slalom this season, was an astounding 1.5 seconds. To put that dominance in perspective, all the winning margins in women’s Olympic slalom races dating back to 1998 combined total just 1.51 seconds. The 2022 Olympic slalom was decided by a mere 0.08 seconds.

Like Brignone before her, Shiffrin had delivered a performance for the ages when it mattered most.