Mikaela Shiffrin has shockingly skied out of her second event at the Beijing Olympics, the women’s slalom.
On Wednesday morning in Beijing, Shiffrin had just started her slalom run when she was disqualified after missing a gate merely five seconds in. On Monday, Shiffrin was disqualified from her giant slalom run after she wiped out at the top of the course. Shiffrin was favored in both events, as she was the reigning gold medalist in the giant slalom from 2018.
Both disqualifications are unusual from Shiffrin, who has been known as a pretty mistake-free skier in her career. These Olympics are the first that Shiffrin is without her late father, a loss that she has stated is still pretty “painful” nearly two years later.
Shiffrin will be participating in three more events in the Beijing Olympics — women’s downhill and the two women’s combined events — and will still have the chance to claim a fourth Olympic medal (or more) in her career.
The sports world has since rallied around Shiffrin, who sat devastated at the side of the course after her disqualification. Sports fans also were left fuming with NBC’s coverage of Shiffrin’s disqualification, as the broadcast spent minutes lingering on shots of her sitting on the course in disbelief.