Mikaela Shiffrin's wait for third Olympic gold to continue after crashing out of giant slalom at Beijing Winter Olympics

Mikaela Shiffrin, one of America's biggest hopes for Winter Olympic glory in alpine skiing, says she will «never get over» crashing out of the women's giant slalom on Monday.

The two-time Olympic champion failed to finish her first run down the Yanqing course, falling after just a handful of turns.

Winner of the giant slalom in PyeongChang and one of the big favourites to claim a medal in China, the 26-year-old said she was hugely disappointed but would move on.

«I won't ever get over this,» Shiffrin told the Olympic News Service.

«I have never got over any [disappointments in big races].

»I still remember how much it hurts four years ago in Kronplatz when I fell before the last Olympics. I remember thinking that was so heartbreaking and it wasn't even at the Olympics.

«That heartbreak never goes away and I think that's what drives me to keep working. Sometimes they do still happen and unfortunately, it happened today.»

Shiffrin was not the only of the competitors to fall in icy conditions on the perilously steep course on Monday morning, with 22 of the 82 starters failing to finish.

For Shiffrin though, failing to finish a race is a rarity. This is just her third DNF in four years.

Shiffrin, who in an October interview with the Washington Post described the Olympics as being «terrifying for the entire two weeks straight», will need to refocus quickly on account of her busy program in Beijing.

She will compete in her traditionally favourite event, the slalom on Wednesday, before taking on the Super-G on Friday, the downhill on Tuesday and then the combined on Thursday.

«I am not going to cry about this because that is just wasting energy,» she said.

«My best chance for the next races is to move forward, to re-focus — and I feel like