BEIJING, China — After her disqualification in the giant slalom, two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin posted to social media to congratulate the winner and praise her injured teammate Nina O'Brien.
The alpine skier from Edwards, Colorado, said on Instagram that "today was one of the most turbulent days I have ever experienced."
After that, she didn't talk more about missing a gate five turns into her first run on the giant slalom – an event at which she won Olympic gold in 2018. She said in an interview after the race that she "cannot afford to spend or waste energy that's now in the past."
> Video above: Mikaela Shiffrin's brother reacts after she skis off giant slalom course.
Instead, Shiffrin congratulated the new Olympic giant slalom champion, Sara Hector of Sweden.
"So so so happy for @sarahector – we've all seen her fight for her comeback for years, and to watch her pull everything together this season and manage to keep that momentum going to take gold today was something special. She deserves it so much," Shiffrin wrote on Instagram.
Shiffrin also said she was "heartbroken" for teammate O'Brien, who trains in Vail.
O'Brien was sixth after the first run. She hit a gate and crashed in the final turn of her second run. A U.S. ski team spokesperson said O'Brien was "alert and responsive" as she was taken away on a sled.
"She showed so much heart and fire in her skiing today," Shiffrin wrote, "and it all got shredded to pieces on the final turn."
Shiffrin went on to say, "The warrior that she is, she will get back stronger and speedier than ever, with the same upbeat and kind attitude that is trademark Nina. But tonight we're all just sad and crossing our fingers for the best news possible."
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