Mikaela Shiffrin targets return in early March as she takes ‘day by day’ approach in injury recovery before end of 2023/24 ski season
The double Olympic champion plans to race again in the tech events in Are, Sweden, on 9-10 March, although she didn’t rule out a ‘shorter timeline.’
Alpine Skiing
Mikaela Shiffrin eyes a return to World Cup competition on 9-10 March when slalom and giant slalom races are scheduled in Are, Sweden.
Following her crash in the Cortina d’Ampezzo downhill on 26 January, the alpine skiing superstar suffered an MCL sprain as well as a tibia-fibula ligament sprains at both the knee and ankle, along with bone bruising.
Shiffrin, as reported by her publicist Megan Harrod, is working on a “4-6 week” timeline from the incident for her comeback, although she didn’t rule out “a shorter timeline” in case “symptoms and load tolerance improved quicker.”
A return in Are would hold a special significance as almost one year ago in the same resort the double Olympic champion broke Ingemar Steenmark’s long-standing record of 86 wins in alpine skiing’s premiere competition.
The 28-year-old added that she’s taking a “day by day” approach and will prioritise returning to tech competitions (slalom, GS) as she plans to introduce skiing into her rehab programme from next week.
The American ski racer, who said she’s ‘improving every day’, will miss this weekend's women's races in Crans Montana, Switzerland, which weren’t part of her plans at the beginning of the 2023/24 season.
Last weekend in Soldeu, Andorra, Lara Gut-Behrami overtook Shiffrin in the overall rankings after her win in the giant slalom. Now the Swiss skier has a five-point lead over Shiffrin and the next stops in Val di Fassa in Italy (two Super G) and Kvitfjell in Norway (Downhill, Super G) look favourable to her.
In a previous injury update, Team USA racer Shiffrin reiterated that she is aware that ‘there’s a lot at stake this season’ but that she’s aiming for the ‘long haul’, making sure she can be ‘fully capable of powerful skiing’ once she returns to the start gate.