Mikaela Shiffrin shared how she struggled to find a voice after her Killington crash in November 2024, which sidelined her for weeks. Shiffrin suffered an abdominal puncture wound in that crash, but after treatment and extended recovery, she could forge a comeback.
The 30-year-old has claimed 108 World Cup victories and extended her slalom wins to 71. She is the favorite to win the overall crystal globe in the 2025–26 season and Olympic gold in Milan–Cortina.
Mikaela Shiffrin Gets Real About the Aftermath of Her Killington Crash
Shiffrin was on a win streak in the 2024–25 season, and just before achieving her 100th World Cup victory, she tumbled and crashed into a gate in Killington, after which she was immediately airlifted from the slope. Medical examinations confirmed that she had suffered an abdominal puncture, along with other minor injuries.
This was followed by surgery to clean out the wound, and the 108-time World Cup winner then underwent weeks of recovery and rehabilitation. She returned to extend her win tally to 100 and won more top finishes, including the team combined event with Breezy Johnson at the World Championships.
In a recent conversation with WSJ. Style, the 30-year-old, opened up about the hardships she faced after her injury, saying she was unable to find her voice. She shared that she could hardly make anyone understand what a ski-puncture wound was.
“Some of the frustrations that came up from not being able to ski, not feeling like I could communicate the state of my body properly, because nobody really understood what a puncture wound to the oblique means in ski racing. I felt like sometimes that I didn’t even have a voice at all,” she said.
She also added that her journey to overcome the barriers and work through the situation with her team only strengthened them for the performances ahead.
READ MORE: Mikaela Shiffrin Brings Team USA Energy Ahead of Olympics 2026 Opening Ceremony
The most decorated alpine skier’s crash in 2024 not only put her career in jeopardy but also concerned her mother, Eileen Shiffrin, and her close ones. In an Adidas athlete documentary featuring the mother and daughter, the former said she witnessed the two-time Olympic gold medalist’s condition and was determined to put an end to her skiing career after recovery.
Shiffrin will head to her fourth Olympic edition, having won three medals across two Games in 2014 and 2018. 2022 was an unfortunate year as she didn’t finish on any podium and later cited mental health issues due to the weight of expectations, self-doubt, and others.
