Mikaela Shiffrin avoided serious injury on Friday when she crashed into the safety nets during a World Cup downhill on the course that will also host the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Shiffrin, the winningest World Cup ski racer of all time, lost control while trying to land a jump 17 seconds into her race in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
“She's positive and in some ways relieved,” U.S. team coach Paul Kristofic told The Associated Press. “Because it could have been worse. But she's pretty sore, like most speed accidents. But she was pretty optimistic about things.”
During the high-speed accident, one of the 28-year-old's skis came off and she was only able to get up slowly. A group of people were seen supporting Shiffrin, getting her to use her ski poles as crutches and leave the area without putting any weight on her left leg. According to Olympics.com, she was transported by a medical helicopter.
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team immediately released a statement on her condition and confirmed that she was taken to a clinic in Cortina. “Initial analysis shows that the anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament appear to be intact,” the team said.
In a follow-up message, the U.S. team said Shiffrin was sending encouraging messages to her teammates. “It's all right ladies, surface is money, you got this!” she wrote.
When all of the day's results were in, Shiffrin thanked the fans for their support and was happy for Team USA's success.
Thank you everyone for your support 🙏❤️
(But oh my god…when I see our team's results, I smile so much!! 🥹👏) https://t.co/NX9qBVS8uK
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 26, 2024
Three Americans finished in the top 20 of Friday's competition: Jacqueline Wiles (13th), Lauren Macuga (16th) and Isabella Wright (18th).
Of the 52 starters, 12 did not finish. Austrian skier Stephanie Venier managed to master the terrain for the win, finishing 0.39 seconds ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami. Venier was 0.71 seconds ahead of the three skiers who shared third place, resulting in a five-person podium. Valerie Grenier, Christina Ager and local hero Sofia Goggia were the bronze finishers.
Shiffrin's collision was quickly followed by another when former overall champion Federica Brignone suffered a minor accident as events resumed. She was quicker to get up and skied further under her own power.
“I'm fine, although I have a few bruises here and there,” Brignone said, adding that the course was mentally challenging.
Olympic champion Corinne Suter could also have been injured. The Swiss star paused her run and was heard screaming after landing the same jump that caused problems for Shiffrin. Suter left the track in the back seat of a vehicle.
Friday marked Venier's eighth career World Cup victory, while Shiffrin had a record 95 World Cup victories.
Shiffrin's future status is unknown, Wright is crashing out
Shiffrin sent out a post on X-Friday saying she won't be skiing the rest of the weekend and will miss the Kronplatz event next week.
Thank you everyone for your support and good wishes. At this point I'm just taking it day by day and will share more information or updates as I know more. I'm very thankful it's not worse, but I'm pretty sore at the moment. I won't be skiing the rest of the weekend… (cont.) pic.twitter.com/9zxduG4p1U
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 26, 2024
…and I won't ski at Kronplatz. Beyond that, it's pretty hard to say right now. I need some time to reflect on this with my team and see how everything feels in the coming days! Thank you all!🙏🤙
— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 26, 2024
Meanwhile, Shiffrin's teammate Isabella Wright crashed into a safety net during a run on Saturday and was sent off the track. When she returned later, she only suffered a laceration on her chin that required stitches. “I think overall I’m pretty lucky,” she said.
The American Jacqueline Wiles came second in the downhill behind the Norwegian Ragnhild Mowinckel. Second place was Wiles' best World Cup result after finishing third in Cortina in 2018.
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