The Austrian duo won gold in the new team combined event at the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday when Mikaela Shiffrin surprisingly crossed fourth after wasting a first-run lead by teammate Breezy Johnson.
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Mikaela Shiffrin concentrates ahead of an alpine ski, women's slalom portion of a team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Jacqueline Wiles, left, and teammate United States' Paula Moltzan show their bronze medals in an alpine ski, women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
AP Photo/Andy Wong
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing Germany's Emma Aicher, left, is hugged by teammate Germany's Kira Weidle Winkelmann at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
AP Photo/Andy Wong
APTOPIX Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing Austria's Ariane Raedler, left, and teammate Austria's Katharina Huber show their gold medals in an alpine ski, women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
AP Photo/Andy Wong
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Mikaela Shiffrin at the finish area during an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Mikaela Shiffrin speeds down the course during an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
AP Photo/Marco Trovati
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Mikaela Shiffrin talks with coaches ahead of an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing Austria's Katharina Huber, left, celebrates with Austria's Katharina Truppe at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
AP Photo/Andy Wong
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Mikaela Shiffrin reacts at the finish area of an alpine ski, women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
AP Photo/Andy Wong
APTOPIX Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Breezy Johnson celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
AP Photo/Andy Wong
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Mikaela Shiffrin concentrates ahead of an alpine ski, women's slalom portion of a team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Jacqueline Wiles waves at the finish area of an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
AP Photo/Andy Wong
APTOPIX Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing Italy's Sofia Goggia crashes as she speeds down the course during an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Breezy Johnson celebrates at the finish area of an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
AP Photo/Andy Wong
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Breezy Johnson speeds down the course during an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Breezy Johnson after completing an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)
AP Photo/Marco Trovati
Milan Cortina Olympics Alpine Skiing United States' Breezy Johnson speeds down the course during an alpine ski, downhill portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Neither Ariane Raedler nor Katharina Huber have ever won a World Cup skiing race.
Yet now they are Olympic champions.
The Austrian duo won gold in the new team combined event at the Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday when Mikaela Shiffrin surprisingly crossed fourth after wasting a first-run lead by teammate Breezy Johnson.
Shiffrin, the most successful World Cup racer of all time with a record 108 victories — 71 of them in slalom, also a record — has now gone seven straight Olympic races without a medal.
After taking two golds and a silver from her first two Olympics, Shiffrin also didn’t win a medal in any of her six races at the Beijing Games four years ago.
Kira Weidle-Winkelmann and Emma Aicher of Germany earned silver and Paula Moltzan and Jacqueline Wiles of the U.S. took bronze.
“No tricks here at all,” Shiffrin was told over team radio before her run on a course set by an Austrian coach. “Actually, it’s nothing to report. You got it.”
But Shiffrin lost time to the leaders at every checkpoint and crossed 0.31 seconds behind — missing a medal by finishing 0.06 behind the other American team. In the finish area, Johnson — who was coming off a gold in the individual downhill — embraced Shiffrin, while the Austrians and other podium finishers began celebrating.
The team combined consists of one racer competing in a downhill run and another in a slalom run, with the times from the two added together to determine the results.
Shiffrin still has her individual events of giant slalom and slalom to come.
Raedler placed second in the downhill leg before Huber had the 10th-fastest slalom leg.
“For me, it was sure that Mikaela could do it,” Huber said. “In the end, it was really a surprise gold medal for us.”
Aicher, one of the few all-around skiers competing in every event, also took silver in the individual downhill.
“Usually, Mikaela is the best slalom skier, and we expected her to be super good in this slalom today, too,” Weidle-Winkelmann said. “But this is also slalom. You never know.”
Wiles, who was fourth in the downhill leg, and Moltzan, who had the fourth-fastest slalom leg, both earned their first Olympic medals.
