All eyes were locked, and the excitement was electric as fans eagerly awaited Mikaela Shiffrin’s monumental 100th World Cup win. The stakes were sky-high on November 30 in Killington, Vermont. The American ski queen carved her way to a commanding lead in the giant slalom’s second run on one of her favorite slopes. Victory seemed inevitable—until the unthinkable happened.

In a heart-stopping moment, Mikaela took a terrifying fall, turning her world upside down. The aftermath? A deep puncture wound to her abdomen, “severe muscle trauma,” and a lot of uncertainty. Thankfully, no bones, ligaments, or organs were seriously damaged, but the incident left her shaken and scarred—both physically and emotionally.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s terrifying skiing mishap

Fast forward to December 12, Mikaela underwent unexpected surgery to remove the build-up fluids in her wound, which, although painful, was necessary for her to proceed in the healing process. Since then, the superstar skier has been vocal about her recovery process. She’s still unsure when she’ll return, but one thing’s clear: this journey isn’t for the faint-hearted. And now, with her trademark grit and grace, Mikaela Shiffrin has opened up about the grueling recovery process, sharing the highs, lows, and everything in between.

In Season 3, Episode 2 of her docuseries “Moving Right Along,” Mikaela Shiffrin gave fans an intimate glimpse into the raw reality of her recovery just two days post-surgery on December 12.

Fighting back tears, she confessed, “I’ve kind of been like going just like diving right into it and focused quite a lot on the pain, and then after that it was like okay you know now we can kind of get into some movement and whatnot.”

But for now, the focus has shifted to rest. She explained, “Right now, I just kind of just supposed to lay low a little bit for the sort of initial healing to happen after the surgery and just. A little bit of time to think, I guess.”

Mikaela didn’t shy away from admitting how hard it’s been, especially grappling with the unknown. She shared, “It just kind of delays things, and it’s hard to put a timeline. I feel like people want to know, but it’s hard to know if or when I’ll be back this season. It is what it is.”

On some days, the weight of uncertainty feels heavier, with Mikaela revealing, “It’s just all of the unknowns that are a little bit tough, and for whatever reason, today, that’s bothering me more than it has the last few days.” Still, she’s found humor in the struggle, saying, “If you can’t laugh, you cry—and for me right now, when I laugh, I cry, so I’m not doing either.” Through it all, she acknowledged her fiance’s constant support, which kept her smiling. Moments like these show just how much strength lies behind her champion spirit.

And guess what? It hadn’t even been a year since the last time Mikaela Shiffrin faced an accident.

Well, remember when in January, Mikaela had everybody on the edge of their seat during the downhill race in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy? During the jump, she tripped, having her back to the snow, and rolled into the nets. The viewers held their breath as medics immediately came to her aid and Mikaela hobbled out of the race, leaving her with a clear problem.

But despite the setback, she found her way back to the slopes, proving once again that resilience is her superpower and hope is something she has learned over the years.

Shiffrin believes in hope and luck!

After the wild Killington saga, Mikaela Shiffrin didn’t just post the typical rehab message. Nope, she flipped the script and brought it to a whole new level. When asked about the gnarly fall, she said, “I was really lucky. Because it was probably like a millimeter from my colon.”

Yep, just a sliver of fate saved her from a much worse scenario. But if you’ve followed Mikaela’s journey, you know she’s no stranger to moments like these. Somehow, she’s danced with danger more times than we can count, and it seems luck has always had her back.

She wears this stroke of fortune like a badge of honor, owning it with grace. “I’ve had plenty of luck in my career. You can see how easily it goes wrong and how hard it is to just make it to the finish with a fast time on a daily basis,” she told Shauna Farnell.

Skiing is not only about skills, it is a sport of millimeters and as Shiffrin said, it is a lot about getting lucky, “There’s a fair amount of luck involved.” However, do not think that luck comes from the blue. As she said, “On one hand, you create your own luck through preparation and hard work.”

The sweet and sour of it all is that she is a hardworking woman who is not afraid of getting a little lucky. So what do you think of her perspective on having luck? Let us know in the comments!