Mikaela Shiffrin is grateful for the support as the American legend gets emotional on the historic win

On February 11, during the FIS Alpine Skiing World Championships in Saalbach, Austria, the American ski queen paired up with her childhood friend, Breezy Johnson. Incredible! Teamwork improved their performance. Discuss both their great individual qualities and their combined talent.

Mikaela and Breezy outperformed Swiss superstars Lara Gut-Behrami and Wendy Holdener by 0.39 seconds. Congratulations on their excellent friendship and skiing ability! Furthermore, given the hardships both athletes had faced, this was a significant milestone.

In addition to Mikael’s injury, Breezy made his World Cup return in December. She was on a three-month anti-doping ban. Despite his success, the 15-time champion’s journey to atonement has not been simple.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s Return to the Top

Mikaela Shiffrin’s return to the slopes has been nothing short of a challenge, both physically and psychologically. Shiffrin had serious oblique muscle damage as a result of the November 30 collision in Killington. Her recuperation was more than simply physical. It was also about facing the emotional wounds of the accident.

 

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Shiffrin acknowledged the challenge of dealing with the psychological repercussions, stating how she grappled with

Fears that are “PTSD-esque” She had to withdraw from defending her giant slalom championship. In an Instagram post, she discussed the difficulty of confronting her fear. This was especially true during the Grand Slalom, but Shiffrin fought back throughout.

“There are some obvious challenges I face in order to continue improving and compete for podiums by the end of the season.” She described it as a step-by-step procedure. Shiffrin’s comeback is a tribute to her perseverance. Mikaela Shiffrin started the 2025 World Championships with a lot of expectations on her shoulders.

She also aimed to win her 16th World championship. But, despite a promising start, fate had other intentions. In a tightly competitive field, Shiffrin finished sixth with a time of 1:59:37. This was heartbreaking for the perennial champion, as the Swiss team of Camille Rast and Wendy Holdener grabbed the top spots. With timings of 1:58:00 and 1:58.46, these two were comfortably on top.

Austrian Katharina Liensberger (1:59.32) followed closely behind them. However, Shiffrin’s partner Paul Moltzan ensured that Team USA finished in the top five once again. The American finished fourth with a timing of 1:59:34. But this would be no solace for Shiffrin, who has long been renowned as a Giant Slalom expert.

As the Austrian Alps resonated with the excitement of seeing history, spectators were forced to settle for seeing the champion finish outside the top place. Unable to acquire the elusive 16th crown, the question is straightforward. The issue is whether Mikaela Shiffrin’s tremendous tenacity and desire will be enough to overcome the obstacles and finish her comeback tale by restoring her top rank before the season concludes.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s fiance, Aleksander Kilde, reacts after the skier wins record-tying 15th medal at the World Championships

Mikaela Shiffrin’s boyfriend, two-time Olympic medallist Aleksander Kilde, shared his comments after the American skier earned a record-tying 15th World Championship medal. She earned the gold medal in the newly created team competition, alongside childhood teammate Breezy Johnson.

Shiffrin is returning after a two-month injury sabbatical and did not confirm her participation in the combined team event until Monday, February 10. However, she was close to her best in Tuesday’s (February 11) event, finishing third quickest in the slalom run.

Johnson, who won the downhill world championship last week, set the fourth quickest time in downhill. Shiffrin became the only skier with more than seven gold medals at the World Championships as the American duo finished in 2:40.89, surpassing Toni Sailer, Marielle Goitschel, Anja Pärson, and Marcel Hirscher.

It was Shiffrin’s 15th career medal, tying her with Christl Cranz as the most decorated skier in World Championships history. Her fiance, Aleksander Kilde, couldn’t be happier and uploaded an Instagram story with a pair of passionate emojis to convey his pleasure, writing:

 

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Shiffrin and Kilde have been dating since 2021, and they announced their engagement in March last year. The Norwegian racer will miss the full 2024/25 alpine ski season to recover from last year’s tragic crash.

Kilde sustained severe injuries after colliding into the safety netting at a downhill World Cup competition in Wengen, Switzerland. He had to be flown from the course and has had several operations since.

“I’m inspired by this event” – Mikaela Shiffrin after winning the first-ever combined team event at the World Championships

Mikaela Shiffrin at the Audi FIS Alpine World Ski Championships – (Source: Getty)

The combined team made their World Championships debut on Tuesday, and Mikaela Shiffrin has fallen in love with them. The American skier, who won the event’s inaugural gold medal on Tuesday, said the new event’s team structure inspired her.

“I’m inspired by this event, which is something a little unexpected,” Mikaela Shiffrin said on Peacock. “The vibe around it, teaming up and feeling like we’re doing it together was so cool.”

After a terrifying collision in Killington last year, the 29-year-old underwent stomach surgery and returned to the slopes on January 30. She won her eighth World Championship gold medal on Tuesday and will now compete for her ninth in Saturday’s slalom.