Slalom is Mikaela Shiffrin's last shot at an Olympic medal in Italy. Good news? It's her best event

"Mikaela Shiffrin likes to invoke the adage from tennis great Billie Jean King that pressure is a privilege. Even if, at times, it doesn't quite feel like it. And it might not at the moment for the American skiing star as she prepares for her third and final race at the Milan Cortina Olympics. Shiffrin heads into Wednesday's slalom still looking for her first medal at Tofane and her first Olympic medal in a staggering eight years."

"A bafflingly slow performance in the slalom during women's combined last week cost Shiffrin and teammate Breezy Johnson a spot on the podium. The winningest ski racer in history felt faster and more confident during the giant slalom a few days later, with her 11th-place finish more a testament to what she described as the greatest show GS had put on in quite some time than her actual performance. Shiffrin was just three-tenths of a second off the podium, a razor-thin margin in an event where the time gap between the winners and the rest of the field is usually far greater."

"Shiffrin's meticulous preparation for her signature discipline she's already wrapped up a record ninth World Cup series title in slalom with two races remaining included reacclimating herself to the singular rhythm of an event where tempo is everything. You'd think after 71 slalom wins including seven this year alone that would be no big deal. At this point in the 30-year-old's career, it's not. No matter how many runs of slalom I do it never gets easier, said Shiffrin, who collected her first Olympic gold in the event as a teenager in Sochi a dozen years ago. It only gets like you become more aware of how challenging it is. And that's just the physical part. The mental side is another matter entirely."

Mikaela Shiffrin arrives at the Milan-Cortina Olympics preparing for her third and final race, the slalom, still seeking a medal and her first Olympic podium in eight years. A slow slalom leg in the women's combined recently cost her and teammate Breezy Johnson a podium finish. She showed improved speed and confidence in the giant slalom, finishing 11th and missing the podium by three-tenths of a second. Shiffrin has already secured a record ninth World Cup slalom title this season and has focused on reacclimating to slalom tempo, acknowledging both physical and mental challenges.

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