Mikaela Shiffrin is set to return to the Alpine Skiing World Cup on Thursday, January 30, in Courchevel, France, for what will be her first professional race since suffering a stab wound to her stomach in a fall in November.
The 99-time World Cup race winner revealed she will be returning to the slopes during an appearance at the Today show on Thursday 23.01.
“It was a little uncertain if I would even be able to come back this season, but I was able to get on the snow, I was able to train a little bit the last week and I’m actually going to Europe in the next few days,” Shiffrin explained. “I’m back!”
Mikaela Shiffrin suffered a deep stab wound and ‘severe muscle trauma’ after a terrible skiing accident
Mikaela Shiffrin crashes in the second giant slalom run during the 2024/2025 Women’s World Cup Giant Slalom in Killington, Vermont on November 30, 2024.
JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty
She then explained that she was still recovering from a November 30 fall that left her with a 7-centimeter-deep puncture wound in her obliques and led to unexpected surgery in December.
The 29-year-old athlete was competing for her 100th World Cup win in Vermont when she fell through two gates before crashing into a fence. Shortly after the accident, Shiffrin posted a video update to X thanking her fans for their support and revealing that “something stung me” during her accident.
“I wouldn’t say 100%,” she said TodaySavannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin on how he’s feeling, noting that the recovery process has been “hard” over the past two months. “I think for the rest of this season we’re going to be dealing with some residuals from this injury. But it’s not painful – my muscles are working again. I’ve been able to get my strength back, so physically I’m in a really good place.”
“The burden of skiing is so great that you have to make an effort,” she added.
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Mikaela Shiffrin after finishing second in the World Cup giant slalom in Jasna, Slovakia on January 20, 2024.
CTK via AP
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Asked when she made the call to return, Shiffrin said she didn’t make the decision until Monday after training again on giant slalom (GS) skis. “I was worried about how it was going to go because this accident happened during the giant slalom and the consequences of returning to the start of the giant slalom, I just wasn’t sure how it was going to feel,” Shiffrin admitted. “But it was pretty good.”
“The next step is racing; that’s the next step in this recovery,” she said. “So the recovery isn’t really over, but I’m strong enough to get back to the starting gate. So that’s the next phase.”
“It takes a lot of repetition — and of course, in a season where we weren’t sure if I was going to be able to recover in time to come back this season, and then every step along the way that I’ve been able to take is progressing pretty quickly,” Shiffrin continued. “So when we fast forward to where we are now, it’s kind of trying to get as many reps and outputs as possible.”
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Mikaela Shiffrin on November 30, before the accident.
Sarah Stier/Getty
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Next week’s World Cup race in Courchevel is the last before the World Cup in Saalbach, Austria from February 4-16.
And despite her past success in sports, Shiffrin said Today to feel the pressure.
“I haven’t really skied in the last 7 weeks, so I’m getting back into competing with the best athletes in the world with the World Cup athletes and trying to stay away from that,” she said. “They went skiing and are in perfect shape, and I’m coming back after cutting my hair in half!”
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Source: HIS Education