Mikaela Shiffrin's heartbreaking start to the 2022 Winter Olympics

The 26-year-old American face of the Olympics — and our hometown hero — missed a gate in the slalom race Tuesday, the second of two competitions this week in which she did not finish.

• In the slalom and giant slalom, she skied a combined 25 seconds before her medal hopes were ended. Both were her best shots at gold in the 2022 Winter Games.
• The last time Shiffrin failed to finish consecutive technical races at the top level was December 2011, when she was 16 years old.

Between the lines: Her falls are igniting inevitable comparisons to Simone Biles and the pressure of the Olympic spotlight.

What she's saying: "Pretty much everything makes me second guess the last 15 years — everything I thought I knew about my own skiing and slalom and racing mentality," she told TV viewers post-race.

Of note: Fellow Team USA skier Nina O'Brien, who is from Denver, suffered a compound fracture to her left tibia and fibula from a scary crash in the giant slalom Monday.

• Doctors performed surgery to stabilize the bones and she's traveling back to the U.S. for further care.