CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy- Eight-time national champion, Nina O’Brien competed in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics on Sunday, February 15, and came out in 20th place in the giant slalom, just behind her USA teammates Paula Moltzan (15th place) and Mikaela Shiffrin (11th place).

O’Brien finished her first run at 1:05.81 and her second run in 1:09.50, totaling a two-run time of 2:15.31, just 1.81 seconds behind Italy’s gold medal winner, Federica Brignone. 

Compared to her last giant slalom race in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, where O’Brien suffered a compound fracture of her left leg after a shocking crash, she made out in great shape this year with the fastest second run tied with Asja Zenere of Italy. 

Through the Mighty Mite program out of Palisades Tahoe, O’Brien’s beginnings on Sierra Nevada terrain has helped shape her style and skillset as she went on to win a gold medal in the 2023 World Championship, along with securing eight national championship titles across multiple disciplines throughout her career. 

Her resilience in representing Team USA once again in the 2026 Winter Olympics is a testament to what she’s capable of. In an interview with Olympics.com, O’Brien said, “I think [what helped me] it’s just the feeling of making one turn that felt like my best turn. And so if I made 59 terrible ones and one good one, that was like this addicting little thread that I could pull on and say, ‘okay it’s still there. I know I still have the speed within me, and we’ll find it again.'”