Mikaela Shiffrin is no stranger to the pressures of elite skiing. The U.S. alpine superstar has spent years chasing records and medals, setting new standards of excellence every time. However, her quest for a historic 100th World Cup victory took a devastating turn when she crashed before finishing at the giant slalom race in Killington 2 months ago. A shocking somersault into the safety nets not only cost her the race but also left her with a serious injury that required surgery. As she returned from the injury and wrapped up the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach, Austria, she decided to reveal gruesome details about her setback.

The crash at Killington on November 30 left Shiffrin with a deep puncture wound and severe trauma in her oblique muscles. This forced her to take a 2-month break from the competition as well. Despite the setback, the 29-year-old skier made a strong return at the World Championships. She even secured a gold medal in the new team combined event alongside Breezy Johnson. However, the mental scars of her accident prove much more difficult to ignore for her as she had to withdraw from defending her giant slalom title, citing “PTSD-esque” fears stemming from her terrifying fall in Killington.

Physically, Shiffrin may have shown remarkable strength, proving she has what it takes to compete at the highest level, but she also acknowledges that some work still needs to be done mentally. After competing in the women’s slalom at the World Championship, she took to her Instagram to share a deeply reflective post on her injury and ongoing recovery. “It seems impossible to have made it this far, this quickly. But here we are…returning to competition essentially during World Championships after 10 weeks of injury. 9 weeks post-surgery, 8 weeks after being laid up in bed with a JP Drain sticking out of my side with a mostly useless oblique,” she captioned on the post.

Mikaela Shiffrin also admitted that she didn’t expect much from herself in this competition given the severity of her injuries. This wasn’t her first injury setback, as she also suffered a high-speed crash downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy that sidelined her for six weeks last season. Still, her caption from the post reflected that she has found solace in the progress she has made, emphasizing that participating in the World Championships is a victory in itself.

“I’m moving forward from Saalbach 2025 with a few simple takeaways: just getting here, period, has been a massive success, borderline miraculous. Walking away with a Gold in Team Combined with Breezy is far beyond my wildest dreams for these weeks. My teammates are incredible (we knew this already🤩)! Their performances, the medals earned, the grit and determination that each one of them has put into this season and these Worlds has been inspirational. I’m so grateful to be part of this team🥹,” she continued in the caption. Despite a strong showing, she ultimately missed out on claiming what would have been a record-breaking 16th medal for her at the World Championships.

Mikaela Shiffirin’s journey at Saalbach 2025 underscores the brutal realities of skiing and injuries related to it. It shows that physical endurance is only half the battle, and mental strength plays a very important role in making a comeback. While she may have left the individual title, finishing fifth would also be fine, giving her a return after the gruesome injury.

Mikaela Shiffrin Finishes Fifth in Slalom

Mikaela Shiffrin could have won a 16th medal and extended her run of six medals in six career slalom races at the world championships. However, Shiffrin might have expected the same place where she ultimately finished after the injury—the fifth place. Given that this was only her second slalom race since suffering trauma to her oblique muscles. Despite the disappointment, she still made history, as she won a combined gold in the championships, marking her 15th career medal at the worlds, tying the record set by German skier Christl Cranz in the 1930s.

She has previously won medals in all six of her races at the World Championships, starting as a 17-year-old in 2013. She followed that streak with a bronze medal in 2021 and a silver in 2023. But her streak ended this year, mostly due to the lingering effects of the two most serious crashes of her career in the past two seasons. Despite missing the podium, she was just five hundredths of a second away from a medal. Her American teammate Paula Moltzan finished fourth, and Swiss skier Camille Rast won the race.

With the World Cup circuit set to resume next weekend, Shiffrin remains focused. She plans to compete in the next two giant slaloms and a slalom in Sestriere, Italy, where she will aim for her next victory, which could mark her 100th career World Cup win. Her return from injury to compete at an elite level is itself a victory, and with her eyes set on new milestones, her story is far from over. The skiing world will be watching closely as she chases her next historic achievement.