Madi Hoffman has produced Australia’s strongest Olympic Women’s Slalom result in nearly three decades, finishing 23rd on debut at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
It is the best Australian performance in the event since Zali Steggall won bronze in 1998 and further evidence that Hoffman is building something significant in Australian alpine skiing.
Article courtesy olympics.com.au
An impressive first run saw Hoffman finish 26th, making the sought-after top-30 flip which led her to be fifth out of the start gate for run two.
While some questioned whether Hoffman would attack or hold back in order to protect a top 30 result, the 25-year-old didn’t hesitate and laid down the 21st-fastest run to move up three places.
“I went for it,” Hoffman said. “You can just ski conservative or you can go... and I chose to GO! That’s who I am.”
Simply reaching the Olympic start gate was once a distant goal following the injury setbacks that cruelled her Beijing dreams and nearly derailed this campaign. But standing among the world’s best in Cortina, Hoffman felt something different.
“I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I felt like I deserved to be there,” she said. “I didn’t feel like an imposter or have imposter syndrome or anything. I was like, ‘no, I’ve kind of earned my stripes to be here’. That was a really freeing feeling to have.”
Hoffman had already made history as the first Australian to score World Cup slalom points since Steggall, with the 25-year-old now getting a better sense of the athlete she wants to be.
“I think through this injury I’ve gained a lot of perspective,” she said. “After scoring World Cup points so early in my World Cup career, it kind of made me feel like a bit of a fraud because I hadn’t backed it up since.
“Since this injury, I feel like no matter what my skiing is like, I’ve done my time, I’ve done the hard yards and no one can really take that away from me.”
So strong was Hoffman’s first run, she found herself starting behind some perennial high achievers in the sport including Czechia’s reigning Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhová.
“Literally, I was like, ‘wow, there are some very good people starting in front of me’,” she said. “It’s pretty cool to see. I’m just excited honestly to get back to work and keep pushing.”
Hoffman was also happy to share the success with those closest to her, with her friends and family in the stands in Cortina, well and truly making themselves heard.
“They’re amazing, they’re funny,” Hoffman said of her family. “They’ve been nice and giving me my space on race days, so I haven’t given them a hug yet, but I’m pretty stoked I’m going to go and see them.”
Fellow Australian Phoebe Heaydon recorded a first-run DNF today, however the 20-year-old can nonetheless reflect on an impressive Olympic debut after finishing 34th in the giant slalom earlier in the week.
The Women's Slalom was won by Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), who claimed gold ahead of Switzerland’s Camille Rast, with Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson taking bronze.
It is the best Australian performance in the event since Zali Steggall won bronze in 1998 and further evidence that Hoffman is building something significant in Australian alpine skiing.
Article courtesy olympics.com.au
An impressive first run saw Hoffman finish 26th, making the sought-after top-30 flip which led her to be fifth out of the start gate for run two.
While some questioned whether Hoffman would attack or hold back in order to protect a top 30 result, the 25-year-old didn’t hesitate and laid down the 21st-fastest run to move up three places.
“I went for it,” Hoffman said. “You can just ski conservative or you can go... and I chose to GO! That’s who I am.”
Simply reaching the Olympic start gate was once a distant goal following the injury setbacks that cruelled her Beijing dreams and nearly derailed this campaign. But standing among the world’s best in Cortina, Hoffman felt something different.
“I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I felt like I deserved to be there,” she said. “I didn’t feel like an imposter or have imposter syndrome or anything. I was like, ‘no, I’ve kind of earned my stripes to be here’. That was a really freeing feeling to have.”
Hoffman had already made history as the first Australian to score World Cup slalom points since Steggall, with the 25-year-old now getting a better sense of the athlete she wants to be.
“I think through this injury I’ve gained a lot of perspective,” she said. “After scoring World Cup points so early in my World Cup career, it kind of made me feel like a bit of a fraud because I hadn’t backed it up since.
“Since this injury, I feel like no matter what my skiing is like, I’ve done my time, I’ve done the hard yards and no one can really take that away from me.”
So strong was Hoffman’s first run, she found herself starting behind some perennial high achievers in the sport including Czechia’s reigning Olympic slalom champion Petra Vlhová.
“Literally, I was like, ‘wow, there are some very good people starting in front of me’,” she said. “It’s pretty cool to see. I’m just excited honestly to get back to work and keep pushing.”
Hoffman was also happy to share the success with those closest to her, with her friends and family in the stands in Cortina, well and truly making themselves heard.
“They’re amazing, they’re funny,” Hoffman said of her family. “They’ve been nice and giving me my space on race days, so I haven’t given them a hug yet, but I’m pretty stoked I’m going to go and see them.”
Fellow Australian Phoebe Heaydon recorded a first-run DNF today, however the 20-year-old can nonetheless reflect on an impressive Olympic debut after finishing 34th in the giant slalom earlier in the week.
The Women's Slalom was won by Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), who claimed gold ahead of Switzerland’s Camille Rast, with Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson taking bronze.
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