When Mikaela Shiffrin won her 99th cup, life seemed to be smooth for the skiing icon. After all, it was all too perfectly aligned for Shiffrin. She would compete in her next race in front of her home crowd and take the historic 100th victory in style. Well, everybody was sure except for one person. Shiffrin herself. The alpine skiing icon was very much aware of the uncertainties of the sport. But even the 29-year-old might not have anticipated the harrowing fall that she was about to experience. 

With the women’s Audi FIS Ski World Cup returning to the Killington Resort for its eighth Thanksgiving weekend, the crowd could not wait to see their hero. When Shiffrin did step out on the glistening snow, the 21,500-capacity crowd sprung up to life in anticipation of history being made. And much to their delight, the 29-year-old had one of the strongest starts. She quickly built a strong lead over her opponents and was looking to close in on the victory real soon. 

And then it happened. Amidst the dancing and cheers of the crowd, the skiing icon suddenly crashed through a couple of gates and rammed into the safety net. Now, Shiffrin suffered the crash high up the hill. So the stunned crowd did not have much idea about what exactly was wrong with their hero. Soon, medical teams rushed in and placed Shiffrin on a ski patrol sled. Being rushed into the Rutland Regional Medical Center, the harrowing details came out. Shiffrin has been in shock from the crash and suffered internal injuries.

With her entire fanbase worried, the 29-year-old managed to record a video for her fans from the hospital bed. Now, almost a week after the harrowing crash, the alpine skiing queen has some good news. In a recently uploaded video on Instagram, Shiffrin is seen walking all by herself. Now, that is a fast recovery! She also had a message for her fans. “I’m going for a walk, and that is so nice. I’ve got my trusty little wound vacuum. We got it put in yesterday. We’ve named him Alan. And things are progressing. This is where I’m at,” said the winner of 99 world cup. 

Now, owing to her gruesome injury, it is expected that Shiffrin will be sitting out for some while. But that doesn’t stop her from sharing her future plans. A smiling Mikaela Shiffrin said, “But I’m cheering on our men in Birds of Prey, and I’m really excited to watch our women next weekend.” Surely, her zeal for supporting the sport is unparalleled. But in recent times, the 29-year-old also highlighted the grim reality of how close a call she actually had. 

Mikaela Shiffrin almost had organ damage

After initial evaluations, Shiffrin was told that she had a deep puncture wound along with a lot of muscle trauma. However, within days, the star skier had an update that shook her fans to the core. The 29-year-old mentioned that she was very close to suffering damage to her internal organs! “Thank you to everyone for your support! The whole vibe in @killingtonmtn —fans, volunteers, hill prep workers, family—it’s truly a special atmosphere. I know it wasn’t the weekend that many were expecting or hoping for…but alas,” said the alpine skiing legend in her update. Shiffrin further added, “Reflecting back on the crash after about a week, I’m incredibly thankful the crash wasn’t worse. It was damn close to piercing some organs that would have changed this situation entirely for the worse.” 

She also added that leading up to the crash, things felt quite alright for her. Shiffrin mentioned that ahead of the race, she felt particularly confident, despite facing significant challenges in the GS previously. She then joked about the fact that it all came to nothing as soon after the start of the race, she was ‘impaled’. Thus, despite avoiding fatal wounds by a whisker, Mikaela Shiffrin remains jolly and vibrant even in her dark times. Now, it will be interesting to see how fast she can recover and grab that historic 100th victory.