'I love Cortina': Mikaela Shiffrin already comfortable at 2026 Olympic ski course

Two years after a disappointing Winter Olympics in Beijing, Mikaela Shiffrin couldn't be happier about where she'll be competing in two years at the Milan-Cortina Games.

Women's skiing in 2026 is slated for Cortina, and the resort known as the "Queen of the Dolomites" is where Shiffrin won four medals in four events at the 2021 world championships.

Shiffrin also made a breakthrough in Cortina back in 2017 when she cracked the top five of a speed event for the first time by finishing fourth in a super-G.

In all, Shiffrin has recorded six podium results in 13 career races in Cortina. So she has good reason to be optimistic after she didn't medal in any of her six races in Beijing — and didn't finish three of her five individual events.

"I love Cortina in general," Shiffrin said ahead of three speed races on the Olympia delle Tofane course starting with a downhill on Friday.

"It's been a place where I've had a really good feeling on my skis, and I feel comfortable on the track. That's really helpful because it takes a little bit less mental energy to memorize all the bits and pieces of the course," Shiffrin added. "For me, the hardest thing with downhill and super-G — just with speed in general — is the factor of memorizing all of the terrain pieces."

WATCH | Italy's Sofia Goggia excited to race in Cortina:

Two World Cup races will be contested on the hill this weekend, with a downhill scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 a.m. ET followed by a super-G on Sunday at 4:30 a.m. ET. Live coverage of both events is available on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.

It's not just Shiffrin who loves Cortina, though.

Weaving its way down the mountain through jagged peaks and chutes and usually bathed in sunshine, the Tofane