Mikaela Shiffrin crashes out of women’s giant slalom amid chase for 100th World Cup race victory
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Mikaela Shiffrin’s bid to win her 100th World Cup race victory took a hit on Saturday, after the 29-year-old crashed out of the giant slalom during this weekend’s Stifel Killington Cup in Vermont.
The American, already the most successful alpine skier of all time, had taken the lead after her first run, before suffering the accident during her second attempt.
Everything looked to be going well, before Shiffrin slipped and went crashing into the security fence by the side of the slope.
Shiffrin did not immediately stand up, and appeared to be in some discomfort before she was taken to a nearby medical center.
Later on Saturday, Shiffrin posted on X, saying there isn’t “too much of a cause for concern, while showing an abrasion she suffered on the crash.
She added that all scans have been clear so far and was grateful for all the “support and concern.”
On Sunday, US Ski and Snowboard said Shiffrin suffered from a “puncture wound into the right side of her abdomen and severe muscle trauma.”
Shiffrin had another chance at reaching the milestone in Sunday’s slalom, but it’s now unclear when she will return to the snow.
“Wishing the best of luck to my teammates tomorrow!! I’ll be cheering from the sidelines on this one,” Shiffrin said Saturday.
Her next bid at her 100th World Cup race victory could come in two weeks at Beaver Creek, Colorado.
Making history
Becoming the first alpine skier to reach a century of World Cup wins would be the perfect way to end a year which started in difficult circumstances for Shiffrin.
In January, she suffered a high-speed crash during a downhill event in Italy, resulting in six-weeks away from the sport.
She was left with sprained knee ligaments, but Shiffrin previously told CNN Sport she was lucky to escape the incident with minimal damage given the impact the accident inflicted on her body.
“It could have gone a million different ways, but man, I’m thankful that this is the way it went,” she said.
As misfortune would have it, Shiffrin’s partner Aleksander Aamodt Kilde also suffered a serious incident on the slopes just a few weeks before her own accident.
The Norwegian skier was involved in a horror crash during a World Cup downhill race in Switzerland, resulting in the two-time Olympic medalist suffering a dislocated shoulder, two torn shoulder ligaments and a gnarly laceration on his calf that needed urgent surgery due to nerve damage.
The pair supported each other with their respective rehabilitations but, in truth, Kilde still has a long way to go before thinking about a return to the sport.
In October, he announced on Instagram that he would not be racing this season because he needs to undergo another shoulder surgery after suffering from an infection.
Shiffrin, though, now has the chance to make yet more history in her remarkable career.
She will also get the chance to do so in front of a home audience – Shiffrin went to school in Vermont.
“I guess there’s a bit of pressure around it, but I’ll try to ignore that,” she said, per Reuters.
“If it happens, it’s wonderful; if it doesn’t happen, nothing to cry about in the grand scheme. But I hope to have a really good performance in front of the home crowd.”
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