Mikaela Shiffrin’s Slalom Rival Petra Vlhová Reveals Update About Season Ending Injury

The 2023–2024 Alpine Skiing Season was in full swing beginning in October 2023 and making its way well into 2024. However, despite the epic rides this season from the best of the best, such as Mikaela Shiffrin, Lara Gut-Behrami, Sara Hector, and many others, injuries have trickled into the thrilling showdown, dampening spirits. Slovakian skier Petra Vlhova, Mikaela Shiffrin’s iconic rival, experienced a challenging season after a dramatic fall during the women’s World Cup giant slalom race in Jasna, Slovakia, on January 20, 2024.

The incident occurred in front of 10,000 spectators when Vlhová lost balance in a left turn 14 seconds into her run, adjusted initially to avoid a fall, but ultimately went down sideways into the safety fencing. This ended the season for the talented icon, who aimed to make waves. And now, weeks after this scary incident, Petra Vlhová has revealed an update about her health.

Petra Vlhová shares an update from the hospital

In an Instagram post by 2022 Winter Olympics gold medalist in slalom Petra Vlhová, the skier shared an update with her 287K followers from a hospital bed on January 5, 2024. The caption of her post read, “Surgery is done, and everything went well. Thank you for your support “. In the video, dressed in a hospital gown, she updated fans, sharing that she was done with the operation on her right knee and that everything went well. Vlhová even shared that, although she is still a little tired, she still feels good.

Petra Vlhová extended her thanks and gratitude to the doctors for a great job and to all her fans and supporters for keeping their fingers crossed for her. This positive message brought a glimmer of joy to fans, especially considering the recent scary injury suffered by Petra Vlhová’s rival, Mikaela Shiffrin, as well.

Mikaela Shiffrin joins the list of injured alpine skiing athletes this season

Mikaela Shiffrin, the queen of the snowy slopes and the legend leading the overall World Cup standings, crashed during a downhill race in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, on January 26. The crash occurred at the Olympia delle Tofane, where Shiffrin slid on landing after a small jump just before the giant Tofanaschuss. Unable to regain control, she careened into the safety net. In a scary scene, Shiffrin appeared to bounce off the netting and stay down for a few minutes. A medical helicopter was dispatched to the scene to assist in airlifting Shiffrin away from the location.

Read more: Mikaela Shiffrin Earns Praises From Boyfriend’s Mother After His ‘Gut Wrenching’ Fall

Later, Mikaela Shiffrin shared an update that “it’s all ok” and even thanked fans for their support, sharing that she was sore but relieved that the injury wasn’t worse. Several other top skiers, including Valérie Grenier and Michelle Gisin, are also out due to injuries. Shiffrin’s boyfriend, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, is also in the process of recovering from his serious downhill crash. As the 2023–24 season unfolds, fans eagerly anticipate the swift recovery of their favorite athletes, hoping to witness them back in action soon.

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