TEHRAN – Sadaf Saveh Shemshaki of Iran is pleased with her performance at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

She finished in 53rd place at the women’s slalom, crossing the line in a combined time of 2:18.59.

The gold medal went to American skier Mikaela Shiffrin with 1:39.10, followed by Switzerland’s Camille Rast (1:40.60) and Sweden’s Anna Swenn-Larsson (1:40.81).

“In the women’s slalom event, I managed to cross the finish line and I am satisfied with my performance in the Games. Four years ago, our athlete was not able to cross the line, but I succeeded in finishing the race. Regarding the race conditions, I have to say they were very difficult because the slope was extremely icy and the course design was very challenging. However, considering the training I had, I was able to deliver a good performance,” Saveh Shemshaki said in an exclusive interview with Tehran Times.

 “To achieve better results and progress in skiing, a skier needs to train on snow for eight months of the year, along with strength and physical conditioning training. For better preparation, we need to train on glaciers such as Hintertux in Austria or at indoor ski slopes like those in Dubai,” she added.

Saveh Shemshaki believes that better results can be achieved through proper planning.

“Skiing is a sport that requires structured planning and scientific training methods. To succeed at international competitions, we need long-term planning, and skiers must participate in training camps. Specialized ski training is extremely important. It puts the skier in conditions similar to competition, and the type of snow used in training should be similar to that of the race venue so that the skier can truly feel the competition environment,” Saveh Shemshaki stated.

The Iranian skier described the short skiing season in Iran as one of the main challenges for athletes.

“The limited skiing season in our country has always been a problem for the Iranian skiers. It shows its impact in international competitions, world championships, and the Olympic Games. The only solution is for the federation to have proper planning, organize regular training camps, arrange training on artificial snow similar to competition conditions so that skiers can participate in events with better preparation and achieve improved results,” she concluded.