CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin closed her eyes and exhaled deeply after crossing the finish line. She stepped back onto the Olympic podium atop the jagged Dolomites peaks.

The American delivered two flawless runs in sunny conditions to claim gold in the women’s slalom. Her winning margin of 1.50 seconds marked the third-largest in Olympic history for the event. Shiffrin first won slalom gold as a 18-year-old in Sochi in 2014. Twelve years on, she circled back to her strongest discipline.

Switzerland’s Camille Rast took silver. Sweden’s Anna Swenn Larsson earned bronze. Shiffrin pumped her fists to the crowd in the finish area. Tears welled up as she hugged her mother and coach, Eileen Shiffrin, on the sidelines.

At the medal ceremony, Shiffrin shook out both hands before the gold went around her neck. She stared down at it in disbelief. The victory snapped a medal-less streak in eight Olympic races since her gold and silver in Pyeongchang in 2018.

Her Beijing performance two years ago yielded no medals in six starts. Here in Cortina d’Ampezzo, she placed 15th in slalom during the team combined event with Breezy Johnson, finishing fourth overall. She came 11th in giant slalom last week.

Shiffrin now holds three Olympic golds and one silver. She leads all skiers with 108 World Cup victories, including 71 in slalom. She owns four world championship slalom titles, plus one each in giant slalom and super-G.

Team USA officials called the course a “high-tempo ripper” over the radio after her first run. Shiffrin led by 0.82 seconds in bib No. 7. She clipped a gate mid-run, teetering for a moment. She recovered instantly. No one touched her time.

The second run flowed smoothly through the tricky top gates. She powered past the sluggish middle. Leaning forward at the line, she posted the biggest winning margin in any Olympic Alpine event since 1998.

“I just wanted to feel those two runs,” Shiffrin said. “I’m proud but also very grateful.”

She credited work with her team and psychologist. “You have what you need within yourself,” she said she told herself in the start gate. “I can’t always say that for giant slalom. But today, in slalom, I could.”

“Maybe just today I realized what happened in Sochi,” Shiffrin added. “It’s crazy.”

The flat course suited her aggressive style. Clear skies and firm snow let her carve clean lines. Rast trailed by 0.68 seconds after the first run but faded in the finale. Swenn Larsson surged from sixth for bronze.

Shiffrin’s dominance cements her status as Alpine skiing’s greatest. She holds every major slalom record. This gold quiets doubters after recent Olympic struggles. Pressure had mounted with each missed podium.

Eileen Shiffrin, a former U.S. racer, watched her daughter etch history. The family connection runs deep in Eagle-Vail, Colorado, where Mikaela trains.

Shiffrin skipped downhill and super-G this week, focusing on technical events. Her slalom prep paid off. She eyes more races before these Olympics end.