Mikaela Shriffin describes ‘stab wound’ injury after dramatic ski race crash
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin recounted her dramatic World Cup crash, describing one of her injuries Sunday as a “stab wound.”
The U.S. Ski Team said in a statement Sunday that Shiffrin, a seven-time world champion, had been released from a hospital and was recovering after sustaining a puncture wound to her right abdomen.
The crash at the 2024 Stifel Killington Cup in Vermont on Saturday resulted in “severe muscle trauma,” according to the organization, which runs the United States’ Olympic ski team.
Shiffrin, 29, was zeroing in on her 100th World Cup win when a ski caught an edge during a giant slalom run and she tumbled into two gates before hitting a fence.
Appearing Sunday on NBC Sports and NBC Olympics, Shiffrin went over the impacts of the crash, which sidelined her at the Killington event, as she watched a replay shared on the broadcast.
“Oh. My. Goodness,” she said, speaking remotely from Vermont. “What an angle, you guys. This is stunning.”
The crash had her tumbling multiple times but bouncing off the fence, she said, before coming to a rest as competition paused and attendants came to her aid.
“I was purposely trying to run the most aggressive line I could,” Shiffrin said of her mindset before the crash.
After she was carried away and transported to a hospital, it was determined she suffered a puncture wound in an oblique muscle, a pair of muscles in the lower, front torso, Shiffrin said.
“I have a stab wound, basically,” she said.
It’s not clear what object caused the injury, she said.
“We’re just not totally sure how I got punctured,” Shiffrin said.
The Colorado native said it was the first time she had seen video of the crash. “All things considered, quite lucky,” she said.
On Saturday she spoke casually from her hospital bed in a video posted to TikTok, telling supporters, “Not really too much cause for concern at this point.”
The U.S. Ski Team said in a statement, posted to Instagram on Sunday and attributed to “Team Shiffrin,” that the skier can’t “walk well” but is grateful there was no damage found in organs, bones or ligaments.
“Her priority is healing,” it said.
Camille Rast of Switzerland won the giant slalom at Killington. Shiffrin said competing at the World Cup event in Beaver Creek, Colorado, this month is unlikely.
“Right now I’m pretty limited in doing anything,” Shiffrin said on NBC Sports and NBC Olympics. “But we’ll see how it goes the next couple days.”
She explained that past injuries involving strained muscles have required about two weeks of recovery time. This injury, she said, involves torn muscle, which she indicated is more serious and takes longer to heal.
In a statement summarizing the competition, Killington Resort said, “Shiffrin was cleared of major injury.” It also noted there is no schedule yet for her return to the sport.
Shiffrin won her 99th World Cup event on Nov. 23 in Gurgl, Austria.
In 2023 she matched then passed fellow American Lindsey Vonn’s record number of World Cup wins, 83, becoming what Olympics organizers described as “the most successful female alpine skier in World Cup history.”
