Every Olympics offers its own crushing surprises, the untimely hamstring shot, the jump that a figure skater fails to land.

On Monday, under sunny skies in Yanqing, it was the turn of American star Mikaela Shiffrin to experience this breathtaking, almost monstrous heartbreak. But Shiffrin’s failure to survive a left turn at the start of her Beijing debut in the giant slalom didn’t have the drama of her sport’s hard crashes or a star figure skater crashing onto the ice. .

One moment her skis seemed a little shaky, and the next she was sliding on her left hip off course. Shiffrin, who has rarely failed to finish a race in her 11 years as a professional skier, was unable to regain her footing in time to stay on track and was disqualified from the competition, which continues with a second round Monday afternoon.

In the 229 career Olympic, World Cup or world championship races in which Shiffrin has competed, she has only skied at a racetrack 14 times and has only done so three times in the past four years, according to NBC Sports.

Shiffrin, 26, had just come through the gate into steep, icy terrain when she struggled to maintain her balance in a right-hand bend. It was a small mistake, but that bobble put her late for the next gate and as she tried to recover quickly, she tipped onto her left hip and skidded to a stop. Shiffrin, the defending champion of the event, was trying to become the first American skier to win three Olympic alpine gold medals.

“I was pushing or felt like I was really pushing in those corners,” Shiffrin said of his Monday start. “It’s hard to know how it would have gone when you’re only four or five corners away from the race. The day was almost over before it even started. But I felt like I really had the right mentality. ”

“But it’s a huge disappointment, not even counting the medals,” she said. “It’s a very good hill and very good conditions.”

Shiffrin has four races left at the Olympics, including his best event, the slalom, on Wednesday. But the giant slalom was considered one of three good chances for her to win a medal, including a gold.

“I skied a bit badly on a turn and paid the heaviest consequence, but now I have to move on because there’s a lot to come this week,” said Shiffrin, who left the finish area. Monday to practice slalom at another racecourse. “I’m not going to cry because it’s just a waste of energy. My chance is to move on and refocus and I feel like I’m well placed to do that.

The first run was Sara Hector of Sweden, who leads the current World Cup giant slalom standings. But four riders are less than a second behind Hector’s first time. The second round which will conclude the event will take place on Monday afternoon.

Shiffrin has three medals from two previous Games and would tie Julia Mancuso for the most alpine Olympic medals by an American if she won one more medal in Beijing. Bode Miller holds the overall record for the United States with six Alpine Olympic medals. Six is ​​also the career record for most Alpine Olympic medals by a woman, which was achieved by Janica Kostelic of Croatia and Anja Parson of Sweden.

Yanqing Alpine Center Updates

Matthew Futterman report from Yanqing, China

Given the disappointment, Shiffrin was in a remarkably decent mood when she spoke to reporters after the accident.

“I was pushing,” she said. “The day ended before it even started, I felt I had the right mentality. I’m proud of those first five corners. But a huge disappointment, not even counting the medals, it’s just a really fun hill and great conditions.”

Shiffrin went through a litany of possible explanations for the bad race, but ultimately said there was no concrete explanation. “I made a few good turns and one turn where I skied badly.”

Matthew Futterman report from Yanqing, China

“I’ll never get over it,” said Mikaela Shiffrin shortly after crashing in her first race at the Beijing Olympics.

She started a series of other races where she was listed as “DNF” (did not finish). “I’m not going to cry about it,” she added. “It’s wasted energy.”

Matthew Futterman report from Yanqing, China

A buzz sounded in the finish area as Mikaela Shiffrin fell on her left hip at the top of her first run. It was visible both on the big screen and with the naked eye from the finish area, which offers an unobstructed view of the top of the course.

There were only a few dozen people in the stands. Usually there would be well over a thousand and a collective moan would sound. But not today, and not here.