Mikaela Shiffrin Shares Graphic Image of Her Injury from Killington, VT

U.S. skiing legend Mikaela Shiffrin has shared an update about her injury from her crash in Killington, Vermont, on her social media account.

• Related: Mikaela Shiffrin Taken Away in Sled as Sweden’s Sara Hector Claims Victory in World Cup Giant Slalom at Killington, VT

The 99 World Cup winner crashed during the second run of the Giant Slalom at Killington on November 30. Shiffrin had caught an edge and went flying in a forward roll into the B-nets. She suffered a puncture to her abdomen, which she and her team now believe may have been caused by her ski pole.

“There’s been a lot of speculation about what caused the puncture wound…and a lot of discussion around the “clean hill initiative”. Some are saying the b-net pin, some are saying the base of the gate, some are speculating about the backpack next to the b-net. Of course, I am fully in support of more safety measures on hill. But, I think in my case, the damage was done before I got close to the net…and in addition to my own coaches and the volunteers who helped me, I want to thank Jojo (coach for Switzerland) who was first to get to me and helped soo so much. After reviewing the video several times, we think it was the tip of my ski pole…given the size and shape of the point of entry. Maybe it pierced in, and then I rolled over it which is what dug out the small cavern… hard to say, really. We’re just glad it’s limited to muscle damage.”
— Mikaela Shiffrin

The extent of the trauma from the puncture is best explained by a rather graphic image that the athlete shared (shown below). It shows a large hematoma on her left lower abdomen. Acccording to the athlete’s own description, the object that punctured her abdomen tore a cavern into her oblique muscles, causing the internal bleeding and severe bruising. The graphic image makes it very obvious why it took Shiffrin several days to be able to walk and feel somewhat herself again. 

• Related: Mikaela Shiffrin Confirms She Will Skip World Cup Races at Beaver Creek, CO, After Her Crash at Killington, VT

Shiffrin shared this week that she will not be able to compete at Beaver Creek, Colorado, next weekend, December 14-15. As this is a rather unusual injury, it is hard to get an estimate on her return to competitive ski racing. For now we wish Shiffrin a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing her again on the World Cup circuit soon.