Mikaela Shiffrin has had an incredible year, and her mother, Eileen Shiffrin, is every bit grateful for it. The alpine ski racer’s mom took to Instagram to share a heartwarming message of gratitude, looking back on how incredible Thanksgiving week was for her family.
Mikaela continued her Slalom dominance with a thrilling victory on home snow in Copper Mountain, Colorado. The victory marked her 104th World Cup victory and 67th Slalom win.
What Did Mikaela Shiffrin’s Mom Say About Thanksgiving Week
Thanksgiving week was particularly eventful for Eileen, as she got to witness her daughter mark a memorable career milestone in Copper. She also witnessed her daughter’s fiancé, Aleksander Kilde, make his iconic return to the slopes after being out of the game for almost two years due to an injury.
Eileen shared a post on Instagram to mark the holiday, featuring several pictures of herself, Mikaela, Kilde, and other loved ones. In the caption, she penned a heartfelt note about how eventful the week had been.
“What a wonderful and crazy Thanksgiving week kicking off turkey day with A.Kilde’s first race in two years after a long road of recovery. Followed by Miki’s courageous GS performance in the aftermath of her own GS injury from last year, Followed by flashes of brilliance from all of our US SL ladies, including the young ones. ” she wrote.
The athlete’s mother commended Paula Moltzan on her second SL run and applauded her for her “grit and resilience” after a “nasty fall.” She then applauded her daughter, Mikaela, for delivering “the goods with spectacular skiing” on home snow.
Eileen concluded the post by expressing her heartfelt gratitude to Copper Mountain and the event’s organizers for putting together an exciting World Cup race.
“Thanks so much to all of the volunteers and Copper staff who worked tirelessly to prepare the hill, move tons of snow by hand, and do it all with a smile ( the IKON way) to the end,” she added.
READ MORE: After 104th World Cup Win, Mikaela Shiffrin Shares Her Low-Key Way of Celebrating the Big Milestone
Mikaela clinched the title at Colorado by winning the Super-G race 1.57 seconds ahead of Lena Duerr. Meanwhile, Lara Colturi finished in third place, behind Duerr.
How Miakaela Shiffrin Teared Up When Aleksander Kilde Made His Comeback
Mikaela’s partner, Kilde, suffered a devastating injury that affected his right leg and left shoulder. The Norwegian Alpine Ski racer took a break from skiing for 685 days, after which he made his highly anticipated return on the first day of the World Cup at the Copper Cup.
Kilde’s fiancée, Mikaela, was patiently waiting for him at the finish line, cheering him on as he made his way to the end of the race. A video posted on Instagram captured Mikaela tearing up as she watched Kilde make his way down the slopes. She was also seen clapping and jumping up and down in excitement.
Notably, Kilde completed the race in 1 minute 8.95 seconds and landed in 24th place.