GEPA pictures/Mario Buehner-Weinrauch

Mikaela Shiffrin, the champion 28-year-old American skiing sensation, faced a significant setback today in Cortina d’Ampezzo during the World Cup downhill race. As she catapulted off the course out of balance the crash unfolded.

After her struggle off jump, Shiffrin attempted a recovery but met the hard reality of a fall, crashing almost unchecked into the fence. The winner of an impressive 95 World Cup races lay motionless in the snow, prompting anxious moments until rescue workers reached her. TV images then revealed Shiffrin standing, yet not placing any weight on her left leg, relying on crutches for support. A helicopter rescue ensued, pausing the race for approximately 20 minutes.

It wasn’t an isolated incident; others like stars Federica Brignone, Michelle Gisin, and German talent Emma Aicher also experienced falls but seemingly escaped unscathed. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Corinne Suter, the Swiss downhill world champion, who swerved off with screams of pain.

After an anxious three-hour wait, the US Ski Association provided an initial update on Shiffrin’s condition, injecting a glimmer of hope. The 28-year-old underwent an initial examination at the Cortina hospital, revealing that her anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are intact. Additional tests will follow, with reports from “ORF” suggesting a potential inner ligament injury, necessitating a one to two-week break.

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The US team shared that Shiffrin, in a WhatsApp team group chat, assured her well-being, writing, “Everything’s okay, the surface is great, you’ve got it.” This incident comes just two weeks after Shiffrin witnessed her partner, Norwegian speed star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, sustain injuries in Wengen.

Sources: Heute.at, U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Twitter account (@MikaelaShiffrin).

Mikaela Shiffrin took to Instagram to express her gratitude for the overwhelming support and well wishes following her Cortina crash. In her own words, “Thank you everyone for your support and well wishes. At this point, I’m just taking it day by day, and I’ll share more information or updates as I know more. Very thankful it’s not worse, but I’m pretty sore at the moment. I won’t be skiing the rest of this weekend, and I won’t be skiing in Kronplatz. Beyond that, it’s quite hard to say right now. Need a little time to process with my team and see how everything is feeling in the coming days! Thank you all! ????

And! Like I said – oh my god…looking at the results for our team today made me smile so much!! ???????? Congrats everyone, can’t wait to watch the rest of the weekend. ????”

Her positive outlook shines through despite the challenges ahead, and she shares her excitement for the team’s achievements.