When it rains, it pours and right now, Mikaela Shiffrin seems to be caught in the storm. Just days ago, she was riding high, celebrating her record-breaking 100th World Cup win, a milestone that made her the first skier, male or female, to reach triple digits in world cup victories. And get this, she pulled it off after being out for two months with an injury, coming back strong to edge out Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic by 0.61 seconds. But just when things seemed to be turning around, boom — another setback in Saturday’s World Cup giant slalom.

Mikaela Shiffrin just can’t catch a break this season. On March 8, things went south (or should we say downhill?) again when she wasn’t successful in executing her first run in the World Cup GS race in Are, Sweden. The Colorado ended up skiing wide on a right-hand turn after picking up too much speed. That slip-up didn’t just cost her the race — it also knocked her out of the Giant Slalom finale. The American skiing sensation will not earn enough points to qualify for the finals, meaning for the first time since her debut in 2012, Shiffrin won’t be racing in the GS finale. It’s yet another tough blow in what’s been a bumpy season.

Meanwhile, Federica Brignone continued to crush it. She dominated both runs, securing yet another giant slalom victory and moving closer to her second career overall World Cup title. Her win wasn’t just impressive — it was decisive. Alice Robinson secured the second place, finishing 1.36 seconds after the Italian skiing sensation with Lara Colturi finishing third. Brignone’s been unstoppable in GS this season, winning every race she’s completed, including a world championship gold medal last month.

Despite Robinson holding a slim 20-point lead, she has 500 points and Federica Brignone has 500, in the GS standings with one race left on March 25 in Sun Valley, the Italian skier is on fire and could easily snatch the title. But what about Mikaela Shiffrin? However irreplaceable she might be in the larger scheme of things, this season has been far from ideal.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s battle with injury

A significant abdominal injury occurred after Mikaela Shiffrin crashed during her second Killington giant slalom run on November 30. Surgery proceeded immediately after that forced her out of competition.  Physical therapist Regan Dewhirst joined Shiffrin for gym exercises while the athlete gradually transitioned from light slope workouts to physical recovery sessions. But the athlete displayed determination to compete again.

Shiffrin returned to make a comeback not with an ordinary performance but with a full-force attack. Together with Breezy Johnson, she became the first-ever champion of the team combined world title event at Saalbach, Austria on February 11. The 29-year-old received worldwide acclaim for her victory but eventually disclosed she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder which made her fight toward recovery especially challenging.

Sure, Mikaela Shiffrin possesses the knowledge to bounce back from a disappointing GS outcome because she possesses strong resilience and a skillset like none other. But the turn of events has been such that it can put the most resilient to test. Will the undisputed queen of the slopes bounce back and reclaim the slopes soon again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!