For Winter Olympic Favourites, the Pursuit of Gold Brings Risk for Their Legacies
Olympic stars are learning that the same spotlight that elevates their sport can also potentially tarnish their legacies, whether fair or not. This reality is starkly evident at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, where athletes like Mikaela Shiffrin, Ilia Malinin, and Scotty James face immense pressure to perform.
The High Stakes of Olympic Competition
Mikaela Shiffrin signed up for this challenge, as did Ilia Malinin, Scotty James, and all the other competitors. Nobody is forced to come to the Olympics; these athletes dreamed of these two weeks long before the flames were lit in northern Italy. They have poured their lives into the pursuit of this moment, this chance. For most, merely getting here is the goal—it is enough, more than enough.
However, for others who arrived as bold-faced names in their sport and heavy medal favourites, the business of the Olympics is more complicated. Shiffrin acknowledges the danger inherent in this platform. While she likens the opportunity for Olympians to showcase their sports to a "beautiful gift," the price of that gift can come at a considerable cost.
The Spotlight's Double-Edged Sword
The spotlight can shine so intensely that it threatens to render everything else on an athlete's resume an afterthought, no matter how accomplished it might be. Shiffrin has spoken openly about how the perception of an athlete's legacy can hinge on a "sole moment" that fails to capture the full picture of a career. She learned this painfully four years ago after failing to medal in any of the six events she entered in Beijing. Suddenly, her slalom gold from Sochi in 2014 and two more medals from PyeongChang seemed to matter less, at least outwardly.
As her fourth Olympics began, Shiffrin stressed that those forgettable days were behind her, but she still faced negativity after a sluggish performance in the women's combined dropped her and teammate Breezy Johnson from first to fourth. On Instagram, she posted: "The Olympics ask us to take a real risk on the world stage, one that requires courage and vulnerability to erroneous judgment and narratives built on a limited understanding of what this sport truly demands." She wasn't complaining; she was speaking the quiet part out loud.
A Painful and Public Learning Experience
The reality of the Olympics is that it is a festival where world championships of disparate sports are held in the same place at the same time. For instance, the field in the women's giant slalom largely mirrors that of a World Cup event in Czechia three weeks prior. Similarly, in men's figure skating, Ilia Malinin, a two-time world champion at just 21, came to Milan as the face of his sport. He won his first Olympic gold in the team competition but held a comfortable lead going into the men's free skate.
Over a nightmarish 4 minutes and 30 seconds, it all fell apart. Malinin, dubbed the "Quad God," fell twice, sending him tumbling to eighth place. The groans from the crowd, including Simone Biles, were audible, and his anguish was unmistakable. Malinin admitted, "I think all of this pressure, all of the media and just, you know, being the Olympic gold hopeful was just a lot. Too much to handle." Biles, who understands such scrutiny, empathised, posting on Threads: "totally devastated for Ilia."
A Ticking Clock and a Hole in the Resume
Scotty James may not have the luxury of time. The 33-year-old Australian snowboarding great entered his fifth Olympics still searching for the one piece of hardware that has eluded him: an Olympic gold medal. Before the competition, he called it "the elephant in the room." Over three runs in snowy Livingo, he tried desperately to shed it. After crashing in his first run, his second scored a 93.50, but it wasn't enough to top world No. 1 Yuto Totsuka. On his final run, he attempted a 1620-degree spin but came up short, missing gold again.
James was emotional afterward, saying, "My team, they live this dream with me as well. They have families, and they spend a lot of time away from them, like me. My 'why' is to do my best so that it makes it worth it." With three Olympic medals, including a silver from Friday he plans to give to his son, Leo, his legacy is secure within his sport. Yet, the lack of a gold medal drives him to aim for the 2030 Games in Nice, France, if his body holds up.
A Bargain That's Ultimately Worth It
Inside snowboarding, James's status as one of the greatest of all time is long secure. The Olympics, however, prop open the door for the outside world to embrace—and judge—the sport. His inability to win gold will stick with him, whether that's fair or not. It's the bargain every athlete makes when they come to the Games.
Shiffrin captured this duality in her writing: "Heartbreak and victory live right next door. Disappointment and gratitude often co-exist." The line between them is incredibly thin, and the challenge of landing on the right side is what keeps athletes coming back. At the Olympics, the pressure is unyielding, and the stakes are never higher, with no immediate chance to wipe the slate clean.
Finding a way to navigate that pressure is part of the challenge, perhaps the biggest part. It's what makes the Olympics, with its motto "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together," so special. Athletes keep throwing themselves into the breach, laying themselves and their sport bare for all the world to see, fairness be damned. As Shiffrin urged, "May we all champion one another, tread lightly on what we don’t fully comprehend, and have the fortitude to keep showing up."
