Dual gold medal-winning Olympian Mikaela Shiffrin has surgery after shocking injury sustained in competition
- Crashed into gates during giant slalom in Vermont
- Had abdominal surgery after the accident
- Is in good spirits and shared an update from the hospital
Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin has undergone abdominal surgery to clean up a stab wound she suffered in a giant slalom crash two weeks ago.
The accident occurred on November 30 at the Killington Cup in Vermont, where she was leading the race and chasing her 100th World Cup victory.
Shiffrin lost control at the finish line, slid into a fence, turned his head over skis and collided with another fence before stopping in a protective fence.
She was transported off the trail on a sled and later diagnosed with bruising and a deep puncture in her hip area, although no ligament or bone damage occurred.
She had used a wound vacuum to treat the injury, but complications arose.
“Gotta love a curveball,” she wrote.
Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin is recovering in hospital after abdominal surgery
The double gold medalist suffered an injury in a crash in Vermont in November
Shiffrin competing in the women’s giant slalom at the Stifel Killington Cup alpine ski race in Vermont, where the accident occurred
‘Had a small unexpected operation on Thursday evening after feeling a bit ill.
‘It turned out that I had a small cavity deeper than the wound channel, which was filled with old hematoma and which did not drain properly with a wound vacuum or normal dressing.’
On Thursday she underwent surgery to flush out the wound and close it with stitches and a drain.
After the surgery, Shiffrin is recovering at home in Edwards, Colorado.
“The biggest bummer right now is not being able to make it to the finish line to watch my teammates race in person at @bcworldcup. But I watch and cheer on TV!’ She shared on Instagram.
There is no set timeline for her return to competition.
The injuries interrupted her bid to add to her record-breaking career achievements, which included five overall World Cup titles, two Olympic gold medals, one silver and seven world championship titles.
Shiffrin holds the record for the most World Cup wins of any alpine skier in history, surpassing Lindsey Vonn’s women’s record of 82 wins in January 2023 and Ingemar Stenmark’s record of 87 wins in March 2023.
Despite the setback, Shiffrin remains optimistic and grateful for the care she has received.
‘So grateful for all the wonderful care and support I have received!’ “She continues to focus on her recovery, hoping to return to the slopes in the coming weeks,” she posted.