Shiffrin to Miss Opening Race of Season Through Injury
11th October 2020
Last modified on May 14th, 2021
Mikaela Shiffrin has injured her back and will miss the opening race in Soelden, Austria, this week.
Her event, the women’s giant slalom, is due to take place on Saturday October 17th.
She tweaked her back in training last week.
“As most of you probably know (if you don’t then mark your calendars now!) the @fisalpine World Cup opener at Soelden is just over one week from today, but much to my disappointment, I will not be able to start this year,” Shiffrin wrote on Instagram.
“After tweaking my back skiing last week, I have been advised to sit Soelden out to let my back heal so I can race the rest of the season.
“Having started in Soelden for the last eight years straight, this feels…really frustrating and strange (for lack of better words).
“Luckily, this injury will heal and I will be back in the start soon… (and I can’t wait).
“While this is a bummer to not be racing myself, I am super psyched to watch my teammates compete.
“They are looking strong, fast, and fired up.
“I’ll be cheering as loud as I can for our US women and men next weekend and I hope you will be too!
“I want to thank everyone, from my sponsors to the media, to the fans, the @usskiteam staff and my teammates, and especially my hometown community, family and friends, for your support in this whole process and for helping me get back out there doing the sport I love.”
The 25-year-old took a month away from ski racing last February and March following the sudden death of her father, Jeff.
The season then ended due to the coronavirus pandemic.
She has spoken of the difficulty of motivating herself since her father’s death and the hardship of being away from friends and family for long periods of time.
Shiffrin has been on the podium in Soelden five of the last six years, including sharing a victory in 2014.
She has won 66 World Cup races in her career and trails her fellow American, Lindsey Vonn, who has won 82 races.
The second race of the season is scheduled to take place in Lech in Austria on November 13th.
It is a parallel giant slalom event.
Mikaela Shiffrin is a double Olympic gold medalist and five world titles
