Five-time Big Crystal Globe winner Mikaela Shiffrin will not compete in this weekend’s World Cup in Soldeu, Andorra, as she needs more time to recover from a knee injury she sustained during a downhill two days ago weeks in Italy.
Mikaela Shiffrin, who has a record 95 World Cup victories, was airlifted to hospital after the high-speed fall on the same track that will host women’s downhill at the Milan – Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026 Olympics. She said her knee can’t take the strain of racing right now.
“I just need a little more time to heal and recover. As I mentioned, there is no major ligament damage and the structure in my knee joint looks good”, said Mikaela Shiffrin. “I put a lot of stress on my whole leg when I crashed and sprained a bunch of things that continue to cause me pain, although it’s getting better, every day! The fact that everything is structurally intact is super positive, but I still need to be patient. I’m in this for the long haul and I want to make sure my knee is healthy and I’m fully capable of power skiing when I get back on the slopes”, added the American skier.
Mikaela Shiffrin also backed long-time partner Aleksander Aamodt Kilde’s call for a better calendar of World Cup competition days to protect athletes from injury.
The Norwegian skier, who suffered a terrifying fall during a World Cup start on the Lauberhorn track in Wengen last month, said a crowded calendar and extended daily schedules contributed to an unsafe environment for athletes, a position echoed by Mikaela Shiffrin.
“It’s pretty hard to put into words the effort of athletes who are in the top 15 in multiple events and consistently on the podium. It’s really overwhelming. I absolutely believe that fatigue at this point in the season plays a role in the injuries that we’ve seen lately, including mine”, said the American alpine skier.
