Mikaela Shiffrin avoided serious injury on Friday when she collided with safety nets during a World Cup race on the track that will also host the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
Shiffrin, the all-time winningest World Cup alpine ski race, lost control while attempting a jump 17 seconds into her race in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
“She's positive and feels pretty good,” said US team coach Paul Kristovich. Associated Press. “Because it could have been worse. But it's very painful, as most speeding accidents are. But she was very optimistic about things.”
One of the 28-year-old's skis came off during the high-speed crash, and she was slow to get up. A group of people were seen helping Shiffrin, prompting her to use ski poles as crutches and leave the area without putting any weight on her left leg. She was transported by medical helicopter Olympics.com.
The US Ski and Snowboard Team quickly issued a statement about her condition, confirming that she had been transferred 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, the American team said that Shiffrin was sending encouraging messages to her teammates. “It's all right ladies, the deck is money, you've got this!” she books.
Once all of the day's results were in, Shiffrin thanked the fans for their support and reveled in Team USA's success.
Thank you all for your support 🙏❤️
(But omg…looking at our team's results makes me smile so much!!🥹👏) https://t.co/NX9qBVS8uK
– Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 26, 2024
Three Americans finished in the top 20 in Friday's competition: Jacqueline Wells (13th), Lauren Macuga (16th) and Isabella Wright (18th).
Of the 52 starters, 12 did not finish. Austrian skier Stephanie Wiener controlled the terrain to take the win, finishing 0.39 seconds ahead of Lara Gut-Bahrami. Fenner was 0.71 seconds ahead of the three skaters tied for third, leading to a five-person podium finish. Valerie Grenier, Christina Ager and local favorite Sofia Goggia took bronze.
Shiffrin's collision was quickly followed by another, with former overall champion Federica Brignone involved in a smaller accident when the action resumed. She was quicker to get up and continued skating using her own strength.
“I'm fine, although I have some bruises here and there,” Brignone said, adding that the course was mentally tough.
Olympic champion Corinne Sutter may also have been injured. The Swiss star interrupted her run and was heard screaming after landing the same jump that caused Shiffrin's problems. Sutter left the track in the back of the car.
Friday marked the eighth World Cup win of his career, while Shiffrin racked up a record 95 World Cup victories.
Shiffrin's future condition is unknown, and Wright is stuck
Shiffrin sent out a post on Friday
Thank you everyone for your support and well wishes. At this point, I'm taking it day by day, and will share more information or updates as I learn more. So thankful it's not worse, but I'm in so much pain right now. I won't be skating the rest of this weekend…(continued) pic.twitter.com/9zxduG4p1U
– Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 26, 2024
…and I will not skate at Kronplatz. Beyond that, it's very difficult to say now. I need a little time to deal with my team and see how everything will be in the coming days! Thank you all!🙏🤙
– Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) January 26, 2024
Meanwhile, Shiffrin's teammate, Isabella Wright, hit a safety net during Saturday's round and was airlifted off the course. When he returned later and He only suffered a rupture On her chin that needed stitches. “I think, mostly, I'm very lucky.” She said.
American Jacqueline Wells ranked second in the downhill behind Norwegian Ragnhild Moenkel. The second-place finish was Wales' best World Cup result after a third-place finish in Cortina in 2018.
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”