American ski champion Mikaela Shiffrin won a record-tying ninth World Cup slalom title season, after being away from the competition for six weeks due to an injury. Her win was tied in a single discipline with Lindsey Vonn and Ingemar Stenmark. Alongside her triumphant return, Shiffrin also extended the overall record she broke back in 2023, having her 96th World Cup victory.
Less than two months ago, the 28-year-old skier had a high-speed collision during her downhill competition in Italy. She suffered sprained knee ligaments, and luckily, she only escaped the collision with minor injuries.
“Thank you to my whole team for their patience, support, and motivation through this whole period. It could have gone a million different ways, but man I’m thankful that this is the way it went,” she declared.
Shiffrin finishes ahead
Shiffrin rose at the slalom competition with a strong performance– completing two fast laps right from the starting blocks. She was able to finish 1.34 seconds ahead of Michelle Gisin from Switzerland and 1.24 seconds ahead of Zrinka Ljutic from Croatia, who won third and second respectively.
In other news, Shiffrin’s boyfriend, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, also suffered a serious injury a few weeks prior. The Norwegian Olympic medalist was involved in a horrific collision during the World Cup downhill race in Switzerland, and he was left with a dislocated shoulder, two torn shoulder ligaments, and a painful laceration on his leg that required emergency surgery to avoid nerve damage.
Currently, the two athletes are helping each other out with their own recoveries.
Source: CNN
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