BEIJING (AP) — Two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin missed a gate early in the first run of the giant slalom at the Beijing Games.
It was the first time she failed to finish a giant slalom since just before she won that race at the 2018 Olympics.
The 26-year-old American arrived in China with plans to try to compete in all five individual Alpine events and spoke about all of the pressure and expectations she felt as one of the faces of the Winter Olympics.
Next up for her is the slalom on Wednesday. She won that as a teenager at the 2014 Sochi Games.
American Nina O’Brien, who was sixth-fastest in the opening run, slid across the finish line, screaming in pain, after stumbling through the last gate as her skis crossed in front of her.
She was checked by medical personnel and U.S. team staff before being taken away on a sled.
U.S. ski team spokesperson Megan Harrod said O’Brien was “alert and responsive.”
