Ghosts of Beijing? TNT Sports pundit Charlie Guest hopes Mikaela Shiffrin got 'gremlins' out of her system in team combined medal miss
Published 11/02/2026 at 10:32 GMT
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TNT Sports pundit Charlie Guest is hoping that skiing sensation Mikaela Shiffrin has got the "gremlins" out of her system after a desperately disappointing start to her Winter Olympic games at Milano Cortina. Shiffrin finished 15th in the slalom of the team combined event, which saw her and team-mate Breezy Johnson finish fourth overall and miss out on a medal in one of the major shocks so far.
‘It’s those gremlins’ – Guest reflects on shock Shiffrin medal miss
Video credit: TNT Sports
There have been few stories that have captured the attention of the sporting world at the Winter Olympics more than Mikaela Shiffrin’s disappointing start at Milano Cortina.
The 30-year-old alpine skiing superstar came to Italy hoping to prove that Beijing four years ago was nothing but a blip.
In those Games, Shiffrin did not even manage to finish in either the slalom or the giant slalom, while she came fourth in the team event.
Heading into Milano Cortina, she would have been hoping to make amends.
First up was the team combined event, and her partner Breezy Johnson, fresh from claiming gold in the downhill, had the USA in prime position to win gold again.
But Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, could only finish 15th in the slalom element, which saw her and Johnson slip out of the medal placings, finishing fourth.
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Watch: 'What's just happened!' - HUGE shock as Shiffrin misses podium in combined
Video credit: TNT Sports
It was a truly incredible turn-up for the books and one which left many scratching their heads, including TNT Sports pundit Charlie Guest, who hoped this was not a sign of things to come.
She said: "I am still slightly processing that one. She has been rock solid in slalom so far this season, winning races by over a second, which in ski racing is a very, very long time, but yesterday in the slalom leg, she was a second behind the fastest slalom run.
"Breezy Johnson already has a gold in the downhill, she is fine, and they are close athletes those two as well. They have known each other skiing growing up and everything, so I think that will be a very supportive partnership so that is OK.
"That is the only gremlin sitting in my mind about Shiffrin. I really, really hope there is something in there.
"She maybe just needed to get on the snow in Cortina, feel it out, she hadn’t done the downhill, so that was her first moment on that slope.
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"Perhaps she can put this behind her and move forward, but it’s those gremlins."
Austrian duo Ariane Raedler and Katharina Huber won gold, with German pair Kira Weidle-Winlelmann and Emma Aicher taking silver.
One of the main beneficiaries from Shiffrin’s poor run was the other US pair – Jacqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan, as they went through to secure bronze, finishing 0.06 seconds ahead of their compatriots.
Guest believes that will make a difference to Shiffrin, with the USA still adding a medal to their tally.
She added: "I just also want to touch on the fact that the US team is so strong because Jacqui Miles and Paula Moltzan pulled up into third place for America.
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Jacqueline Wiles and Paula Moltzan celebrate winning bronze.
Image credit: Getty Images
"So they still had a team on that podium and that maybe takes the pressure off Shiffrin, because there are still medals coming through the door, just not from who we expected."
Shiffrin will next be in action in the giant slalom on Sunday, February 15 and in the slalom on Wednesday, February 18.
Shiffrin finishing fourth may be of some consolation to Team GB athletes Mia Brookes, Kirsty Muir and mixed doubles curling pair Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat, who have also suffered the pain of finishing in the worst place in sport.
TNT Sports presenter Orla Chennaoui certainly believes it shows just how tough it is to reach the podium at a Winter Olympics.
"If we are talking about that pressure of an Olympic Games, certainly in terms of Team GB and their hunt for a medal," she said.
"When the likes of Mikaela Shiffrin, who is a three-time Olympic medallist and the most successful in the history of the sport, also finishes in fourth once again yesterday, it just goes to show that there are no presents given at an Olympic Games."
Watch every event of Milano Cortina 2026 live on discovery+. Available across all subscription plans, starting at £3.99.
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