Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

Team USA Shares Official Mikaela Shiffrin Update After Winter Olympics

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Songco | Last updated Mar 3, 2026 8:38 PM ET

Team USA alpine ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin made a lot of waves during the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

The 30-year-old had a rough start in this year’s Games. Shiffrin and teammate Breezy Johnson came up just short of a podium finish in the inaugural team combined. She then placed 11th in her second race, the giant slalom. This extended Shiffrin’s drought to eight consecutive events after she failed to medal in six competitions in the Beijing Olympics four years ago.

Shiffrin redeemed herself in her final event. She won gold in the slalom final. It was her third career Olympic gold medal, making her the most decorated female alpine skier in the Winter Games.

USA's Mikaela Shiffrin competes at the PwC Tremblant alpine skiing Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Shiffrin’s historic success in the Olympics resulted in a major honor for the 15-time World Championships medalist. This comes in the form of a nomination for the AAU Sullivan Award.

According to its website, the AAU Sullivan Award “honors the most outstanding collegiate, Olympic, or similar-level athlete in the United States.” Apart from success in their respective fields, the award also recognizes athletes’ “qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship.”

On Monday, Team USA shared an official update on Shiffrin’s nomination via social media.

“Voting is officially open for the 96th AAU Sullivan Award, and @MikaelaShiffrin is a finalist ‼️” U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team posted on X, urging fans to vote for Shiffrin.

Voting is officially open for the 96th AAU Sullivan Award, and @MikaelaShiffrin is a finalist ‼️ @TheRealAAU

Vote for her here: https://t.co/hC2gJSFpAb
— U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team (@usskiteam) March 2, 2026

Team USA also provided a link to the voting page, which closes on Thursday.

Apart from Shiffrin, a number of other Winter Olympians have been nominated as well. Figure skaters Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin are also on the list, along with ice dancing couple Madison Chock and Evan Bates.

Other big names include Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Olympic rugby player Ilona Maher and UConn Huskies basketball star Azzi Fudd.

Past winners of the prestigious awards include Caitlin Clark (2022, 2023), Michael Phelps (2003) and Peyton Manning (1997), to name a few.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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