Mikaela Shiffrin escapes serious injury after crash at venue for 2026 Olympics
Mikaela Shiffrin appears to have escaped serious injury after a crash during a downhill race at the venue for the 2026 Olympics.
Shiffrin was taken off the mountain by a helicopter, standard protocol at the venue, and then driven to a clinic in Cortina, Italy, where “initial analysis shows the ACL and PCL (in her left knee) seem intact,” U.S. Ski and Snowboard said in a post on X.
Shiffrin responded to the post saying, “Thank you for all your support,” followed by praying hands and heart emojis.
Paul Kristofic, the U.S. Ski team coach, told The Associated Press that Shiffrin won’t race again this weekend. It’s not clear when Shiffrin, who last weekend extended her record with her 95th World Cup victory, will be able to return.
“She’s actually quite good,” Kristofic told the AP. “She’s positive and in a certain way relieved. Because it could have been worse. But she’s pretty sore, as you are for most speed crashes. But she was quite upbeat about things.”
Shiffrin crashed near the top of the Olympia delle Tofane course, which will be used for the Milan-Cortina Olympics in 2026. She was heading into the Tofana schuss, a narrow chute through rock walls that is the signature part of the course, when she hit a patch of soft snow while landing a small jump.
Shiffrin crashed into the safety netting at the edge of the course and was attended to for about 10 minutes. But she was able to stand and limp off, keeping her left boot off the ground and using her poles for support.
Shiffrin was in communication with the rest of the U.S. team while she was being transported to the hospital, telling her teammates, “It’s all OK ladies, surface is money, you got this.”
Shiffrin broke Ingemar Stenmark’s record for total World Cup victories last season with her 87th win and has continued to add to it this season. She’s won eight races, including a downhill in St. Moritz, and has a significant lead in the standings for what would be her sixth overall title.
