The snowy mountains of the Austrian Alps went silent as the Saalbach crowd witnessed one of the all-time greats miss out on adding yet another accolade to her gilded career. While the heroics of the Swiss duo of Camille Rast and Wendy Holdener helped their nation win, it was not so great for Team US. Why? Because what could’ve been a fairytale comeback for Mikaela Shiffrin instead turned into a downpour.

While everyone was expecting her to break the records and win another world title, fifth was all Mikaela could manage on the 15th. With a time of 1:59:37, she fell behind the likes of Camille (1:58:00), Wendy (1:58.46), Katharina Liensberger (1:59.32), and her US teammate Paula Moltzan (1:59.34). Despite being a specialist in the Giant Slalom, the 2-time Olympian had to swallow a bitter pill.

Despite having a strong start at number after the opening run, she started giving time soon after. While the Austrian Alps looked forward to witnessing history in the making, they had to settle for a top-5 finish. But one shouldn’t forget that Shiffrin is still healing from the nightmarish injury that nearly derailed her career back in November 2024.

This could’ve been the 16th world title for the Olympian after she claimed the 15th one by winning the new women’s team combined event on Tuesday with downhill champion Breezy Johnson. The loss also shook the fans to their core because the American gold medalist has never been off the slalom podium ever since she skied for the first time as a 17-year-old in 2013.

Mikaela, who is making a comeback after an injury, bagged 4 golds in a row from 2013 to 2019, silver in 2023, and bronze in 2021. She has been the queen of these races; her defeat must’ve gutted the skiing fans. Though the Slalom winning streak has finally been put to rest after 7 years with this defeat, the 29-year-old feels satisfied with the result. “

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Recovering from the Vermont injury, Mikaela is trying to find her place in it. She further goes on to say, “It’s a strange place to be returning from surgery eight weeks ago. From laying in bed with a drainage tube six weeks ago to return mid-season in the middle of world championships where everybody is talking about the medals. And all the other athletes are fighting and on their top form.” But Mikaela isn’t giving in just yet. But the path to winning might be hard.

Mikaela’s Shiffrin is on the road to redemption

Mikaela’s injury is taking a heavy toll on her. The multi-time champ mentions, “And I’m trying to figure out where I even stand in the sport.” Yet the nightmares are not just over for the champ. Pulling out from GS, this defeat, and the aggravating pain—things are hard. But the two times Olympian has stood her ground, slowly and steadily making her comeback.

Mikaela, in a hunt for her glorious 100th World Cup victory, lay gutted on the snow she learned to ski on. The Colorado-born miscalculated and put too much weight on her inside ski, hitting the snow. Something made its way into her abdomen, leaving a puncture wound. What followed was surgery and physiotherapy to get her back on her legs.

And being the warrior she is, Mikaela returned to snow on January 30th at the slalom event in Courchevel, where she finished 10th. Though the wound continues to scar her mind, Mikaela is looking out to work on herself and her skiing to give a tough competition for the podium by the end of the season.

“I think there are some obvious challenges that I face to keep improving in my skiing and maybe to get to the point where I can be fighting for podiums for the end of the season,” she told Eurosport. Winning the 15th World Cup medal, which ties with Christl Cranz’s 1930s record, is a testament to Mikaela’s resilience and the fact that the 29-year-old still has a lot of fuel in her tank.

However, as far as the 16th world title is concerned, it is as inevitable as her 100th World Cup victory. Fans know she will definitely show up in her comeback. The question is, when?