Mikaela Shiffrin was all set to create history. With 99 victories under her belt, a historic 100 was on the horizon for the skiing legend. Anticipating the possibility, 27000 spectators flocked to Killington, Vermont. Running in her hometown, at the giant slalom event, Shiffrin looked well on course to get her 100th victory. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. 

While Shiffrin took the lead in the initial run, the second run went horribly wrong. She suffered a harrowing crash and the skiing legend was immediately taken to the hospital. Thankfully, there was no organ damage, and the skier escaped with a puncture wound. While the initial danger was minimized, a secondary revelation led to further complications. 

As per updates from Shiffrin, she had a cavity deeper than the wound filled with old hematoma. Thus, to completely drain that out, the skier had to opt for surgery. And this is where things get tricky. A surgery at this point will surely result in prolonging her comeback further. Speaking exclusively to skiracing.com, Shiffrin mentioned that without the injury, she would have been able to make a return in the current season. 

But now it’s not possible. “I think if all things had gone perfectly and all the drainage just came out, we were pretty sure the season would be possible. It just depends on how I improve over the next weeks and months. There’s not a lot of precedent for this injury in our sport,” said Shiffrin. She also mentioned how a GS turn or a Slalom turn could cause unknown stress on muscles that might lead to further damage. 

However, Shiffrin also sounded quite positive while reflecting on when she would be able to return. “When you think about the force of a GS turn or a slalom turn or a super-G turn, it’s hard to know what the muscle will withstand. We’re giving it a couple of weeks to see. I think we’ll get a clearer view each day of how it’s going to work,” Shiffrin stated. Well, now that it is certain that Shiffrin will be going on the operation table, the legend also detailed why she wanted to avoid the procedure. 

Mikaela Shiffrin wanted to avoid her surgery 

Right after being taken to the hospital, Shiffrin looked to be in good condition. She uploaded a video message for her fans and was also able to walk within a few days. Unfortunately, her rapid recovery came with an unwanted revelation. “Turns out I had a little cavity deeper than the wound tract that was filled with old hematoma and wasn’t properly draining with wound vac or normal packing,” said Shiffrin. Thus, the only way to make things normal again was to opt for surgery. 

However, despite being the best bet to recover, the alpine skier was reluctant about the procedure. This was because, as per Shiffrin, the surgery would only open up the area further, leaving room for potential damage in the future. But with no option left, the legendary athlete had to give in. “In the end, it [the surgery] was probably the best option to clean out the wound and figure out what was going on in there,” chimed in Shiffrin. Thus, with fans awaiting her return, it remains to be seen how fast can she recover and dominate the snow once again in the future.