Industry News
Mikaela Shiffrin came out with a public statement today, Wednesday, February 7, on her social media channels, confirming she will not be competing at the FIS Alpine World Cup in Soldeu, Andorra, this coming weekend, February 10-11. Mikaela Shiffrin suffered a knee injury when the American skier crashed during the Downhill at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, two weeks ago. While the athlete did not tear a ligament, she has overstretched it and is still recovering from the crash and resulting injury.
In her social media post, Shiffrin further addresses the staggering 29 injuries that have been happening on the FIS Alpine World Cup circuit this season, saying that she does believe that a certain fatigue at this point is to blame for the slew of crashes.
“Quick update from my end now that I’ve had a good little rehab block since my crash. First of all, thank you all SO much for your support of both @akilde and me…I want you to know how much it means to us. You have all been so wonderful.
Second of all, I just want to address the number of injuries there have been lately, and send my best to all of those who are currently sidelined (including @iamsofiagoggia, most recently). Yes, this is ski racing, and yes – we choose to take the risk every time we push from the start gate. That said, the amount of injuries (especially among the top athletes) this year has been staggering. A lot has been said about it, and I absolutely agree with those who have asked that we take a better look at the demands on top athletes…both from a race calendar perspective as well the schedule with evening programs. It’s pretty hard to put into words what the actual demands are like for athletes who are in the top 15 in multiple disciplines and consistently on the podium. As Aleks recently mentioned, on top of the race calendar in itself, with post-race media and awards going well into the afternoon, then having full evening program (during the only 60-90 minutes of the weekend where we might otherwise be able to eat or get any recovery time) on multiple nights is a lot. It’s really too much. I absolutely believe that fatigue at this point in the season plays a roll in the injuries we have seen lately, including my own.
Lastly, although I’m feeling better each day and progressing well, I will not be skiing in Andorra this weekend. That stings as I have so many special memories in @soldeueltarterworldcup, but my knee cannot handle the load of racing just yet. I just need a bit more time to heal and re-condition. As I’ve mentioned, there was no major ligament damage and the structure within the joint of my knee looks good. Basically what we’re managing is an MCL sprain, a sprain of the tibial-fibular ligaments, as well as the bone bruise that I already had from earlier this season in Levi. I took a ton of stress to my whole leg when I crashed and stretched a bunch of things that are continuing to cause pain, although that is improving every day! The fact that everything is structurally intact is super positive, but I still need to be patient. There’s a lot at stake this season, but that is also the case with any season – I am in this for the long haul and want to ensure my knee is strong and I am fully capable of powerful skiing when I return to the start gate. Every day, pain gets better, motion gets more solid, smooth, and consistent…we’re managing it well and always moving a little bit forward with each session.”
Big thanks to Regan for being so incredible, as well as my entire team and my sponsors. And, of course – all of you.
Thank you for your interest and following this journey.Love,
Miki ❤️
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