Even when Mikaela Shiffrin isn’t winning, she continues to impress.
Just 61 days after a crash that left her with a severe injury to her obliques and nearly sidelined her for the rest of the season, Shiffrin made an incredible return to competition. In Thursday’s slalom race in Courchevel, France, she finished 10th. After the first run, she was in fifth place, but she lost some ground in the second and ended up 2.04 seconds behind the winner, Zrinka Ljutic of Croatia.
“It felt challenging, and the top women are skiing amazing,” Shiffrin commented after the race. “I’m so happy to be back competing with them. Hopefully, I’ll get faster in the next few weeks.”
Watching her race, it’s clear how impressive it is that she even managed to finish so well. Despite the difficulty, she leaned into each turn, with her core engaged as she shifted her weight between skis, handling the demanding slalom course.
The crash, which occurred on November 30 during a giant slalom race in Killington, Vermont, was severe. Shiffrin was struck by something she still isn’t sure of, suffering a puncture wound 7 centimeters deep, which made even sitting up a challenge at first.
After completing her second run, Mikaela Shiffrin smiled, waved to the cheering crowd, and made a heart gesture with her gloved hands.
“It was a really important step in my recovery,” she said. “It was great to see how I compare to the top skiers in the world and figure out what areas I need to work on to improve. Also, getting this start before the world championships was crucial for me.”
When Shiffrin announced her comeback last week, she shared that she had regained her strength and that her muscles were firing again. However, she still needed to get her timing back, which was evident in her performance on Thursday. She occasionally lost balance in both runs and didn’t maintain the tight, smooth lines that are characteristic of her style.
“Watching video from the first run, I realized my rhythm and timing weren’t quite right to catch the track properly,” she explained. “I was fighting it a bit. That’s not something I could fix today; I needed to race to see that for myself.”
More training will be key for Shiffrin—she didn’t get back on the slopes until January 1—and she has about two weeks to prepare before competing in the world championships in Saalbach, Austria. While the championships start on February 4, Shiffrin plans to race in the giant slalom and slalom, which are the final two events on the schedule.
The giant slalom will take place on February 13, followed by the slalom two days later.
Shiffrin has also not ruled out participating in the team combined event, which pairs a technical specialist, like her in slalom, with a speed specialist skilled in downhill. However, she mentioned that her decision will depend on how her training progresses.
Shiffrin expressed excitement about the possibility of competing in the Team Combined event, noting that her teammates have been showing incredible speed this season. She would be thrilled to partner with any of them if she’s in the position to race.
Shiffrin, who holds the record for most World Cup wins, is approaching her 100th victory, a milestone that may never be surpassed. However, after recovering from an injury that could have been much worse, her focus is on her health and performance rather than the record. Just eight weeks ago, she struggled even to sit up and feared she might miss the rest of the season. Now, she’s back in the top 10 at a World Cup and preparing for the world championships.
Shiffrin acknowledged that she’s still working to catch up to the world’s fastest skiers, but expressed satisfaction with her progress. “I’ve got a lot of work ahead, but I’m happy to be back and excited to keep pushing forward,” she said.