The FIS Ski World Cup circuit just leveled up again! Yes, now that Mikaela Shiffrin is back in action on the slopes, women’s alpine skiing is bound to see some fireworks. After all, it’s incredible that it just took her 61 days to physically recover after a pole literally stabbed into her side during a brutal crash. But has she moved on from the injury trauma mentally? Let’s hear from the G.O.A.T herself!

On Thursday, in Courchevel, Mikaela Shiffrin raced in the slalom event hoping for the 100th win of her career. But she fell short. And surprisingly, the loss wasn’t marginal. She clocked in 10th in the race and that’s not exactly Shiffrin’s usual style. Clearly, after finishing the first run in fifth place, things just didn’t click in the second, leaving her combined time 2.04 seconds behind winner Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia. But here’s what she was feeling about it all.

Right before the slalom race in France, Mikaela Shiffrin had opened up about being back to the sport. She said, “Yeah, I am really happy to be here. Um, yeah, it’s like a little bit emotional and I am pretty nervous but it’s so good to be back around the racing and everybody. Seeing everybody and just, it’s really nice to be here.” One could have heard the emotions in her voice and seen the happiness on her face.

However, there was a time when this possibility of a return was hanging by a thread. Mikaela Shiffrin confessed, “I mean, it’s something I always know when I’m racing, but um, the last two months, that was challenging to figure out um, when, yeah how to kind of overcome the fear that this kind of weird crash can happen again” And that’s only normal. After spending most of 2024 in rehab and recovery, she’d finally mustered the courage to return. But who knew that was only to be knocked down again by that brutal December crash. That’s enough to shake anyone!

Nonetheless, the skier has given out the much-needed confirmation. She continued, “And it’s a little different in slalom because its so, yeah the other crash happened in GS but, yeah, it’s just like, that its like, I’m saying that it okay to be a little bit afraid but I still want to be here anyway which is kind of a cool feeling.” That’s it. We now know that Shiffrin is going to be a frequent sight on the slopes regardless of her fear. Honestly, after a 7-centimeter puncture in her abdomen nearly two months back, this is a huge statement.

However, these were her pre-race words. Speaking of her post-race feeling, we saw that it left Mikaela Shiffrin hopeful of what comes next on the timeline. And we know exactly what that is— the World Championships.

What’s next for Mikaela Shiffrin and is she ready?

Well, the rust was definitely there, and it showed in Shiffrin’s performance in Courchevel. But was she upset? Not really. Instead, she was quite satisfied after the race, as she said, “It’s kind of totally successful.” The 99-time World Cup race winner also believed, “It gave us such a good direction for what we should work on in training…. To be back so soon that I could start racing before world championships is also pretty incredible.”

Yes, as she mentioned, Courchevel was the final women’s World Cup race before the world championships kick off next Tuesday in Saalbach, Austria. But once the World Cup tour picks back up, Mikaela Shiffrin will still have seven more shots at that elusive No. 100 win in her strongest events, the giant slalom and the slalom. The first one being in Sestriere, Italy. However, can she make the most of these? Let us know what you think.