KUALA LUMPUR — National alpine skier Aruwin Salehuddin delivered a commendable performance at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, finishing as one of the top Asian competitors in the women’s slalom event yesterday.
Competing at the Alpine Ski Centre in Tofane, the 22-year-old clocked a combined time of 1 minute 54.82 seconds to place 44th out of 53 athletes who successfully completed both runs.
The gold medal was claimed by American star Mikaela Shiffrin in 1:39.10, with Switzerland’s Camille Rast taking silver in 1:40.60 and Sweden’s Anna Larsson securing bronze in 1:40.81.
For Aruwin, the result marked a significant redemption following her disappointment at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where she was unable to complete her race on debut.
Her latest achievement was made even more notable by the fact that she emerged as of the best-performing Asian in the field, finishing ahead of Tallulah Proulx of the Philippines (50th), Wen Yi Lee of Taiwan (52nd) and Sadaf Savehshemshaki of Iran (53rd). Piera HUDSON of UAE finished above her at the 39 spot.
Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president, Tan Sri Norza Zakaria, congratulated Aruwin on her achievement, describing her as a symbol of the steady rise of Malaysia’s winter sports athletes on the global stage.
“We are extremely proud that she finished as the best among the four Asian athletes who completed the race. It is an accomplishment that brings great pride to the nation,” he said.
Aruwin, who grew up in Bellingham, Washington, is actually the daughter of another Olympian. Her father, Salehhuddin Ayob, represented Malaysia in the Canoe/Kayak event at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.
For this Winter Olympics, the Malaysian contingent is making its third consecutive appearance, following earlier representations by alpine skier Jeffrey Webb and figure skater Julian Yee. - February 19, 2026
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