Industry News
Norwegian speed specialist Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has given an update on his health following his high-speed crash on the Lauberhorn racecourse on January 13, 2024. The Norwegian ski racer had shot into the nets at full speed during the Downhill at Wengen, Switzerland, cutting his calf, dislocating his shoulder, and severing tendons in the shoulder.
In a press conference today, February 1, 2024, the Norwegian ski racer stated, “I have decided not to say too much about [a return to ski racing]. I am very unsure at this point and I first have to see how long the recovery process will take. The focus at this moment is on health and recovery.”
While it was known that he had a cut to the bone on his right calf, the picture Kilde shared this week on social media was shocking and illustrates the extent of his injuries like no verbal description could. For our reader’s discretion, the picture is at the bottom of this post, so you can skip it.
In the Teams press conference, the athlete was sitting in a wheelchair and he admits, that he finds it very difficult to be reliant on other people to push him, as the shoulder injury prevents him from pushing himself. “Sleeping is also difficult, I have great pain in my shoulder and leg.” While he is not sure an airbag would have prevented the injuries, Kilde certainly believes he needs to rethink his race suit: “It is certain that I will drive with cut-resistant material.”
Mikaela Shiffrin’s boyfriend had been airlifted from the race course in Wengen to the hospital in Bern, where he was first treated. The American ski racer rushed to be by her boyfriend’s side before returning to training and subsequently winning the Slalom at Jasna, Slovakia.
From the hospital in Bern, Kilde was moved to a hospital in Innsbruck in Austria where the 31-year-old year old has a property.
The extent of his injuries and the pain has shocked even the tough ski racer himself, who describes in his social media post just how agonizingly slow recovery has been for him.
“As I said…”I’m looking forward to tackling this challenge and will try to enjoy the process as much as I can.🙏🏻”
Here’s what that “Process” is looking like so far…
Week 1:
•tried going to the bathroom on a toilet once, and fainted
•pain medication like clockwork every hour
•medical-heli transfer from Bern to Innsbruck (sooo thankful to get closer to home!)
•successful shoulder surgery—both arthroscopic and then open method—to repair my entire rotator cuff and capsule (it turned out to be quite a bit more extensive than 2 ligaments🥴)
•10/10 worst pain I’ve ever felt following the surgery…and then had an anxiety/panic attack from the medications for that pain🙄
•lots of anatomy lessons🦾Week 2:
•sat upright for more than 10 minutes *without passing out*
•going to the bathroom by myself
•went outside for the first time in two weeks
•preparing for 7 weeks in a wheelchair
•spending quality time with my parents
•FaceTiming @mikaelashiffrin 👑
•tried a different pain medication that addressed the pain in my leg and the tension in the rest of my body differently…which was relieving almost immediately
•showered for the first time in two weeks on Wednesday!!!
•finally went home from the hospital Friday!!
•had the doc tell me that he expects I should make a full recovery with the motor function in my leg (from the nerve damage)
•healing from shoulder surgery (they found a significant amount of damage when they entered for surgery)
•I still can’t lift my toes…BUT the peroneal nerve is showing some signs of firing and the doc told me yesterday that he expects I should make a full recovery with the motor function in my foot🥳Week 3:
•Home in Innsbruck
😫😜😅🥴🙏Baby steps, right?! Seriously though, thank you guys for all of your support. This is a very hard situation, to put it lightly. Even after my ACL, at least I was sort of mobile with crutches. I could shower myself…I could cut my own food. To think, from where I’m lying right now, that I was prepping for the longest downhill race of the season 3 weeks ago is mind-blowing. But these “baby steps” are giving me energy, so I’m very thankful for that and maybe even “enjoying” it a little bit! I missed racing in Kitzbühel and Garmisch, but don’t want to miss saying congrats to the podiums at both races.💪
