Mikaela Shiffrin was expected to cement her position at the top of her sport at the Beijing Games, but after not finishing a race so far her story echoes the disappointments of fellow elite athletes Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka at the Tokyo Olympics.
After crashing out of the giant slalom on Monday, the 26-year-old Shiffrin, one of the world's most successful Alpine skiers, exited at an early stage in Wednesday's slalom race.
The American sat slumped by the side of the course with her head in her hands after her aborted run, and choked back tears while trying to come to terms with what had happened.