Mikaela Shiffrin turned heads at Gurgl, Austria. With her 99th World Cup victory, fans looked forward to the alpine ski racer in the next event. The next giant slalom race was going to take place in Killington, which happened to be the home turf for the American. Why was this race so important, you ask? Well, she aimed to etch her name in the history books by clinching her 100th World Cup victory on the slopes. It only made sense for the winningest skier in World Cup history to achieve this incredible feat, right?

Having racked up such incredible statistics in her career, the 29-year-old has cemented herself as one of the best skiers in the current era of the winter sport. But on November 30, her legacy was hanging by a thread. On that fateful day, the alpine ski racer led the first run effortlessly, putting herself on top of the table as the favorite. Yet, her second run soon made that historic feat impossible. The slopes may usually be her playground. But on that fateful Saturday, everything seemed to unravel.

Mikaela Shiffrin updates fans about devastating fall

On the daunting slopes of Killington, the alpine skier began her second run with a 0.32 advantage over the reigning Olympic champion, Sara Hector. However, Mikaela Shiffrin hit a gate midway down the run, sliding into the protective fencing. Unfortunately, she lay on the side of the course, surrounded by people. As she was taken off the hill on a sled, fans were concerned about the 29-year-old. Then, on December 1, the official Instagram account of Audi FIS Ski World Cup shared an update from Team Shiffrin, captioned, “Get well soon, @mikaelashiffrin ❤️‍🩹🍀.”

Unable to decipher what was wrong, the skier was concerned about fatal injuries. It was described by her team that ‘After the crash, Mikaela was in shock, unable to move, and concerned about internal trauma.’ Even though the alpine skier initially told fans that she only had an abrasion and couldn’t move, things weren’t as smooth sailing. Even though there was no ligament or bone damage, she had a puncture wound on her abdomen. To make matters worse, the ski racer was also suffering from severe muscle trauma.

Shortly after the fatal crash, Mikaela Shiffrin was transported to a medical center. However, the abdomen wound was too deep, and due to the risk of infection, the doctors decided not to stitch it up. Unfortunately, this made it impossible for her to walk or compete at the moment. As heartbreaking as this decision is, she wanted to focus on healing from this fatal crash. “She’ll be cheering loudly for her teammates from home in Killington as she focuses on taking the time needed for a full recovery,” says her team.

The 29-year-old lost out on her 100th win and the gold to Sara Hector, who passed the finish line in 1:53.08 seconds. With a stacked World Cup career of 275 starts and 99 wins, the alpine skier has always dominated the slalom taking place on Sunday. She has won the slalom at Killington six out of seven times. Those are crazy stats, aren’t they? However, fans are absolutely devastated after witnessing the harrowing incident. What do they have to say?

Fans are hurting for the alpine skier

In her second run of the giant slalom, Mikaela Shiffrin lost grip on her outside gate. This led to a crash through a gate, promptly flipping her over. She then somersaulted into another gate, eventually hitting the protective fencing at the edge of the course. As she lay in the snow momentarily, fans at the event felt their heart sink as soon as they witnessed that. What did they say?

One fan stated, “It was a scary crash! Fortunately the outcome is better than any more dire scenario. Mend well in body and mind!” No one could put the harrowing incident into words. Yet another fan agreed, “I can’t imagine being this gracious in this situation. What a class act she is.” While the alpine skier gave fans a thumbs up as she was taken off the hill, there still wasn’t any certainty of her condition, freaking fans out. 

Hours after being taken to the medical center, Mikaela Shiffrin finally had the chance to update her fans on social media. But the wait felt like they were sitting on a pin cushion—uncomfortable. The 29-year-old let everyone know she was fine and there wasn’t much to be concerned about. She even took the chance to apologize to her fans for giving them a scare. The skier reiterated that her scans were clear and was grateful for their support.

A fan exclaimed, “I’m so glad her bones and ligaments are ok. That was a nasty fall with the gate and then the fence. Further proof why strength and conditioning are so important.” After the update from her team, many realized that there was more to be worried about, but this fan found a silver lining. Another fan agreed, “So glad it wasn’t worse. Heal up quickly, @MikaelaShiffrin! That next win’ll come. 100’s just another number.” It’s safe to say that everyone was rooting for her. 

Taking a fall as fatal as Mikaela Shiffrin did would leave anyone petrified. But what made it worse was watching her lay still after such a stellar lead on the slopes. The U.S. Ski team made sure she was transferred to the Rutland Regional Medical Center promptly because she was concerned about internal wounds. While the puncture wound on the right side of her abdomen was concerning, she should be able to heal from it comfortably.

One fan couldn’t help but reiterate, “Feel Better Soon @MikaelaShiffrin! We will miss you on the Slopes tomorrow, but hope you have a Speedy Recovery. We will always have your back during your recovery process. @NBCOlympics @NBCOlympicTalk.” It will be hard not to watch the pre-event favorite clinch another win. 

During her illustrious 14-year career, the alpine skier has had to deal with two previous on-hill injuries. However, neither required surgery, and she was back on the slopes within two months. However, since she wouldn’t be able to walk immediately after the crash, she would have to miss out on cheering her teammates on in person. On the other hand, the 29-year-old will still be watching from her place in Killington. How do you feel about the incident? Do you agree with the fans?