Mikaela Shiffrin escaped serious injury Friday after colliding with a safety net during a World Cup downhill run on the course that will also host the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Shiffrin, the winningest World Cup alpine skier in history, lost control while attempting to land a jump 17 seconds into the race in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
“She’s positive and relieved in a way,” said U.S. team coach Paul Kristofik. Associated Press. “Because it could have been much worse. But like you do in most speed collisions, she’s pretty sore too. But she was very optimistic about things.”
The 28-year-old woman lost one of her skis during the high-speed collision and was slow to stand up. A group of people could be seen assisting Ms. Shiffrin, using a ski pole as a crutch, and guiding her to leave without putting any weight on her left leg. She was transported by medical helicopter, according to the news release. olympic.com.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team quickly released a statement regarding her condition, confirming that she had been taken to a clinic in Cortina. “Initial analysis showed that the ACL and PCL were intact,” the team said.
The U.S. team said in a follow-up that Shiffrin had sent a message of encouragement to her teammates. “It’s okay, girl, the surface is money, you get this!” she said. I have written.
Once all of the day’s results were announced, Shiffrin thanked the fans for their support and celebrated Team USA’s success.
Thank you to everyone who supported us 🙏❤️
(But guess what…seeing our team’s results makes me smile so much!!🥹👏) https://t.co/NX9qBVS8uK
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 26, 2024
Three American athletes finished in the top 20 in Friday’s competition: Jacqueline Wiles (13th), Lauren McGuah (16th) and Isabella Wright (18th).
Of the 52 starters, 12 did not finish the race. Austrian skier Stéphanie Benier used the terrain to her advantage to win, finishing 0.39 seconds behind Lara Gut-Behrami. Benier had a 0.71 second lead over the three competitors tied for third place, giving five riders a place on the podium. Valerie Grenier, Christina Agar and local favorite Sofia Goggia took home bronze medals.
Shiffrin’s collision was quickly followed by another, with former overall champion Federica Brignone having a minor collision when the event restarted. She got up faster and continued sliding down on her own power.
“I have bruises here and there, but I’m fine,” Brignone said, adding that the course was also mentally demanding.
Olympic champion Colin Suter may also have been injured. The Swiss star stopped her run and screamed after landing the same jump that caused Shiffrin’s problems. Suter left the track in the rear of his vehicle.
Benier won her eighth World Cup on Friday, while Shiffrin holds the record with 95 World Cup wins.
Shiffrin’s future status unknown, Wright crashed
Shiffrin posted on XFriday that she will not be skiing this weekend and will not be participating in the event in Kronplatz next week.
We sincerely thank you for your support and well wishes. At the moment, I’m just taking it day by day, but as soon as I have more information and updates, I’ll share them. I’m thankful it hasn’t gotten worse, but it’s pretty painful right now. I won’t go skiing this weekend…(continued) pic.twitter.com/9zxduG4p1U
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 26, 2024
…And I don’t ski at Kroonplatz. Beyond that, it’s very difficult to say at this point. I need some time to process with my team and see how everything feels over the next few days. Thank you, everyone! 🙏🤙
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 26, 2024
Meanwhile, Shiffrin’s teammate Isabella Wright crashed into a safety net during Saturday’s run and was airlifted from the track. When she came back later and only sustained lacerations Her jaw required stitches. “For the most part, I think I’m pretty lucky.” she said.
American Jacqueline Wiles finished second in the downhill to Norway’s Ragnhild Mowinkel. The second-place finish was Wiles’ best World Cup result after finishing third in Cortina in 2018.
