On December 14 and 15, Team USA Alpine ski racers hit the slopes in Beaver Creek, competing in the downhill and Super-G events. Missing in action? Mikaela Shiffrin. Instead of chasing podiums, she was stuck watching the races on an LED screen—hundreds of miles away, flat on her back in a hospital bed. Yep, the queen of downhill skiing, arguably the most dominant racer out there, is sidelined and in recovery mode.

Just last month, she was the name to beat, leading the FIS Ski World Cup 2024 standings. A 100th World Cup victory? Totally within reach. A crystal globe? Practically hers for the taking. But now? Things are looking… complicated.

What happened? Well, on Saturday, Mikaela Shiffrin revealed she had surgery on Thursday to clean up an “old hematoma” from a nasty injury she picked up two weeks ago at the Killington World Cup. She shared the news on Instagram but left fans guessing about her recovery timeline. “Will share more updates as we know more about what the next bunch of weeks have in store,” she wrote.

Cue NBC swooping in with an update on December 15, sharing her post-surgery thoughts. Shiffrin, ever candid, didn’t sugarcoat the situation. “Just because surgery kind of is a setback and you know, it reintroduces trauma to the area and it just delays you know what I can do. So that’s maybe not ideal,” she said during a chat with the network. Surgery on Thursday, potential delays, and a lot of uncertainty—does this mean her season’s in serious trouble?

Mikaela Shiffrin’s hurried run to Vail Health on Saturday turned a lot of eyes. Just a few days ago, she uploaded a video to share a glimpse of her improvement. In the short video, she showed up standing on her legs, walking without feeling any load. She even claimed in the video, “I’m going for a walk and that is so nice… Things are progressing.” Nonetheless, in her latest interview with NBC, Mikaela Shiffrin showed some shifting from her previous words. 

In the latest interaction, she looked doubtful about the progress. Eventually, the former world champion dropped the frightening words, “My progress every single day, and this is a little bit of an ambiguous thing. There’s not a lot of precedent for this kind of injury in our sport.” This kind of change came after her surgery on Thursday. Did she and her team have any idea beforehand about the upcoming results? 

It could be. Any proof? In the conversation with NBC, Mikaela Shiffrin conceded, “Unfortunately, I think we were all trying to avoid the surgery element of it and see if I could heal this on my own.” In those lines, Mikaela was talking about her cavity that had been there without the doctors’ notice. The surgery was carried out to fix it and now, Shiffrin is not sure about her timetable of return. This entire issue may not put a smile on American ski racers’ faces. However, the Killington World Cup race inflicted too many question marks on the current US ski racing squad. 

Mikaela Shiffrin’s absence adds to Team USA’s woes

The Killington World Cup wasn’t just tough on Mikaela Shiffrin—it turned into an injury saga for two other rising stars on Team USA: Paula Moltzan and Elizabeth Bocock. Both racers kicked off the season with high hopes, but the unforgiving slopes had other plans.

Elizabeth Bocock, the 19-year-old making waves in her World Cup debut, had a stellar first run in the Killington GS, snagging eighth place. Earlier this season, her performance in Gurgl earned her a shoutout from none other than Mikaela Shiffrin—talk about a confidence boost! But Killington’s second run had a different script. Elizabeth collided with a gate, injuring her wrist and losing her pole. Still, she powered through and finished 23rd. Grit? She’s got plenty. Unfortunately, the pain caught up with her during slalom training the next day, forcing her to withdraw. The medical update? A swollen wrist—nothing too dramatic, but enough to sideline her.

Then there’s Paula Moltzan, who had a “pop” of her own—literally. During her second run, she dislocated her left shoulder. In true warrior style, she popped it back in mid-race. No fractures, no surgery, and thankfully, her shoulder remained stable. But it’s clear both Paula and Elizabeth are on the rehab track before they can hit the slopes again.

As for Mikaela, rehab isn’t her only hurdle. With surgery behind her and recovery ahead, her comeback is looking like a steep uphill climb. For Team USA, the road to recovery is getting as treacherous as the slopes they’re famous for conquering. Will they bounce back stronger? You can bet on it.