Mikaela Shiffrin Out for ‘Several Weeks’ After Crash
28th November 2024
Last modified on December 4th, 2024
She fell heavily in the GS in Killington where she had hoped to take her 100th World Cup victory. She has no bone or ligament damage but there is a puncture wound into her abdomen, and severe muscle trauma. UPDATED
It looks like she will be out of action for several weeks and will miss the Super-G in Beaver Creek on December 15th.
“Oh look… I’ve been impaled. Gonna be a minute…like a few weeks minimum…to be able to take on much of any force,” she said on social media in her latest comment on her injury.
“Thank you all for every ounce of love and support, in the grand scheme, it’s a small pot hole (pun intended), and I’m very thankful for that!”
Shiffrin did not receive stitches because the wound was too deep and there was a risk of infection.
“I have a stab wound, basically,” Shiffrin told NBC Sports on Sunday.
“I was purposely trying to run the most aggressive line I could,” she added.
“We’re just not totally sure how I got punctured.”
In her second run in the GS she had a rare fall, crashing into the gates and doing a flip before hitting the safety netting at speed.
She was taken off the slopes on a sled and managed to wave to the crowds as she was transported to the medical centre.
“Following her crash in yesterday’s giant slalom at the Stifel Killington Cup, Mikaela was taken down by sled and transferred by ambulance to be evaluated at Rutland Regional Medical Center,” said US Ski & Snowboard on Sunday.
“There was no ligament damage assessed. Bones and internal organs look OK.
“There is a puncture wound into the right side of her abdomen and severe muscle trauma.”
She posted from her hospital bed on social media shortly after the crash.
“Not really too much cause for concern at this point,” she said.
“I just can’t move. I have a pretty good abrasion, and something stabs me under the fingers. That’s it. So I just can’t move. I am so sorry to scare everybody. And it looks like all scans so far are clear. So thank you for the support and concern,”
Quick update. Thank you for your cheers and support. Wishing the best of luck to my teammates tomorrow!! I’ll be cheering from the sidelines on this one.🙏❤️ pic.twitter.com/5siYwSFxMT
— Mikaela Shiffrin ⛷️ (@MikaelaShiffrin) November 30, 2024
See here for her run that ended in injury:
Mikaela Shiffrin’s hope of recording her 100th World Cup win is ended by an unexpected fall 💔
We send our best wishes and hope Mikaela is okay 🫶 pic.twitter.com/Oj3gFTZEPb
— Eurosport (@eurosport) November 30, 2024
Here she explains what happened:
It is the second time an injury has forced her to withdraw from World Cup racing during her career.
She suffered a sprained MCL and tibiofibular ligament injury in her left knee after a crash in the Cortina downhill last season.
She was out of action for a month ending her hopes of retaining the Crystal Globe.
The slalom race in Killington was won by Sara Hector from Sweden.
“It’s just so sad, of course, to see Mikaela crash like that and skiing so well,” said Hector after her victory.
“It breaks my heart and everybody else here.”
See here for the race round-up video from FIS Alpine:
Sara Hector triumphs in Killington as Shiffrin crashes out!#fisalpine #wintersport #worldcupkillington pic.twitter.com/GbASRnXHsB
— FIS Alpine (@fisalpine) November 30, 2024
No-one has any serious doubt that Shiffrin will reach the magical number of 100 World Cup victories, as long as she recovers from her injuries.
The figure of 100 World Cup wins in alpine skiing is a figure many thought impossible to reach as the legendary Swedish skier, Ingemar Stenmark, held the record of 87 titles for decades.
Then along came Mikaela Shiffrin.
The previous weekend in Gurgl in Austria she clocked up her 99th win with PlanetSKI slopeside.
“I guess it’s not impossible, but so many things have to go right,” Shiffrin said in Gurgl about reaching 100 wins.
“From the outside it looks easy, or it looks like it’s supposed to happen this way.
“But… it’s certainly not easy.
“Everybody’s pushing and catching up.
“And so, I’m not taking that for granted.”
Gurgl World Cup. Image © PlanetSKI
Only three other skiers in the 57-year history of FIS World Cup have won more than 100 ski races.
- Swiss telemark skier, Amélie Wenger-Reymond, has 164
- Norwegian cross-country skier Marit Bjørgen, has 114
- Swiss freestyle skier, Conny Kissling, has 106
Here at PlanetSKI we’ll be reporting back on Shiffrin’s recovery and when she may race again.
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