Aleksander Aamodt Kilde / GEPA pictures
After careful consideration following Sunday’s World Cup race in Crans-Montana, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has made the difficult decision to withdraw from the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
The men’s downhill, which Kilde had been expected to contest, is scheduled for Saturday in Bormio — a venue rich in personal history for the Norwegian. It was there that Kilde claimed a World Cup super-G victory in 2021 and added four more podium finishes.
“I have done everything I possibly could to be ready, but my mind and body are not performing the way I need them to,” Kilde said in a statement released by FIS.
Kilde later shared a message on Instagram reflecting on his return to racing and the road still ahead. “Being back was a victory in itself,” he wrote. “Now I’m chasing the next big win.”
A long road back
The decision comes just over two years after Kilde’s career was thrown into doubt by a heavy crash in Wengen in January 2024. The fall resulted in severe injuries to his calf and shoulder, including a deep laceration and nerve damage in his lower leg that caused a significant loss of feeling.
Despite the severity of the injuries, Kilde committed to a lengthy rehabilitation process with the goal of returning to the highest level of the sport.
A measured comeback
That return began earlier this season, with Kilde starting seven World Cup speed events and recording three top-30 finishes. His first races back came in Colorado, where he placed 26th in the Copper Mountain super-G before finishing 11th in the Beaver Creek downhill.
His most recent World Cup points came from a 27th-place finish in the Val Gardena super-G on Dec. 19. Since then, Kilde has elected to skip several races, including the traditional speed stops in Wengen and the classic Kitzbühel events.
Support close to home
Among those acknowledging the milestone of Kilde’s return was his fiancée, Mikaela Shiffrin. The American shared a brief message on Instagram, writing, “you did it.”
Shiffrin is expected to compete in team combined, giant slalom and slalom events in Cortina d’Ampezzo, where she enters as a medal favorite.
Olympic and career pedigree
The Milan-Cortina Games would have marked Kilde’s fourth Olympic appearance. He previously competed in downhill, super-G and the now-discontinued alpine combined.
At the Beijing 2022 Olympics, Kilde won silver in the combined behind Austria’s Johannes Strolz, finished fifth in the downhill and earned bronze in the super-G behind Austria’s Matthias Mayer and Stifel U.S. Ski Team racer Ryan Cochran-Siegle.
Across his career, Kilde has recorded 48 World Cup podium finishes across four disciplines, including 21 victories — 12 in downhill and nine in super-G. He has also captured four discipline titles, two each in downhill and super-G, and added silver medals in both events at the 2023 world championships in Courchevel/Méribel.
Looking ahead
With the Olympics now off the table, Kilde will turn his focus toward preparing for the 2026-27 season, continuing a recovery process that has already demanded patience and resilience.
While his absence will be felt in Bormio, the decision underscores a longer-term priority: returning to racing only when fully ready, and with his sights set firmly on future success.
About the Author: Matt Garcka
