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≡ SHIFFRIN RETURNS ≡
After a brutal crash during a training run in Killington, Vermont on 30 November, American skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin had to go through surgery to head off a possible infection after a puncture wound – apparently from one of her poles – that could have led to a dangerous infection.
Barely two months later, she is the no. 6 starter in Thursday’s Slalom at Courchevel, France, returning to the FIS Alpine World Cup tour in which she has logged more wins than any other skier in history.
She has 99 total wins, including 62 Slaloms – the most ever– and has won at Courchevel seven times in her career:
● 2017: Giant Slalom and Parallel Slalom
● 2018: Giant Slalom and Slalom
● 2020: Giant Slalom
● 2021: Giant Slalom
● 2022: Downhill
She said in a video she’s more concerned with her continuing recovery than a magic 100th career World Cup gold:
“To be here at this point is just so incredible. It’s just really hard to zoom out and look at that whole big picture and all the hype [around a 100th win] that has been talked about since the start of the season.
“This is a step. This is a really big step in my recovery. But it’s only one step, actually. We’re taking it as it comes. My biggest goal is to enjoy being back in the start gate again. …
“A part of what I hope to show the world is that I want to be here. That sounds so simple and so obvious, but I questioned whether or not it’s even worth returning this season. Even if I could take on that physically, could I take it on mentally? I suppose I have enough of an answer to that, being that I’m here and we’re doing it.”
However, Shiffrin could get another record with a medal of any color in Courchevel. She has 154 total World Cup medals (99-27-28) and with another, she will tie Swede Ingemar Stenmark (1973-89) for the most in World Cup history at 155!
Shiffrin was the women’s World Cup overall leader coming into the Killington race, but has now missed 17 of the 35 events on the schedule and is not expected to contend for another seasonal championship. The same happened to her in the 2023-24 season, where injuries caused her to miss races after she was in position to take the title again.
If she does well in Courchevel, she could then be in the mix at the 4-16 February FIS Alpine World Championships in Saalbach (AUT), but for now, it’s one step at a time.
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