Injuries? No problem. Missing World Cup races? Not a big deal. Trolls? Definitely not an issue. This is Mikaela Shiffrin, and even after a serious injury, she’s still got that unshakeable hope because she knows she can come back stronger. After a tough November injury, it looks like Shiffrin is making plans to get back on the slopes! She’s been putting in the work, hitting the gym hard, and has plans to be back on snow “in the next week or so.”

Just over a month ago, Mikaela Shiffrin was on her way to possibly clinch her 100th World Cup win when disaster struck. During a race in Killington, Vermont, she lost control, slid into a gate, and flipped head over skis, resulting in a deep puncture wound to her hip. The crash was serious enough that Mikaela needed abdominal surgery in mid-December to clean out the wound and begin her recovery. Despite the injury, she’s remained focused on her recovery. On Instagram, Mikaela shared her excitement about the progress she’s been making.

“I can move and sweat and use my body which is so exciting!” she said. Even though she’s still in recovery, she’s focusing on getting her strength and conditioning back, working within the limits of her injury. “This next phase of recovery is all about getting my strength and conditioning back as much as possible while working within the limitations of my obliques. Long hours of gym/rehab time but it’s coming along and I’m so happy with that,” said the 29-year-old. Though Mikaela is not completely ready, she knows she can.

Talking about the haters who have been after her on social media, throwing jabs about missing races because of the injury? Well, to be frank, Mikaela has also got that in check too. When the accident occurred, there were some people who began to post unnecessary comments about missing the competitions. However, Mikaela is not being a wuss and is not letting all the hate get to her.

When former Paralympic snowboarder Brenna Huckaby shared on threads, “I think the most depressing thing about social media is the incredibly sad people who get off on commenting things just to hurt people. like. i feel so bad for your existence,” Mikaela responded with a simple, “💯,” showing that she’s not letting the negativity affect her. Time and again, she’s put trolls in their place! Remember 2022?

The shocking moment Mikaela Shiffrin silenced her haters

Over the course of her 14-year career, Mikaela Shiffrin has faced her fair share of challenges. In 2015, she tore her MCL and bruised the bones in her right knee. Then, in January 2024, she had a nasty crash during a downhill race, injuring her left knee. Despite the severity of these injuries, neither required surgery, and she was back on the slopes within two months both times. And each time, people doubted her, but she always bounced back. Following a rather lackluster performance at the 2022 Winter Games wherein she withdrew from three events and did not even perform well enough to be in the running for a medal in the other two events, the criticism came flooding in.

As the result was announced, some of them called her a ‘choker,’ ‘loser,’ and more. But instead of allowing those words to affect her, Shiffrin answered as she always does with so much pride. As for the trolls on social media, she said, “There will always be turkeys,” and urged everyone to keep going, not for the haters but for the love of the sport. What has been more spectacular is the backing she has received from other people, most notably athletes, for instance, Simone Biles, who had to withdraw from some competitions in the Summer Olympics, in Tokyo.

Biles, who has experienced terrible criticism, personally tried to calm Shiffrin. The ski pro was touched by the support, though she said she didn’t feel she was worthy of it. But as she has realized, in this world, people can be rude but others can also be generous. This has only served to spur Shiffrin on and today she is the 99-time World Cup champion. It is yet to be seen when she is going to jump back into the World Cup tour again and if she would be fit to give the World Championship happening in Saalbach, Austria, this February, a shot. Only time will tell!