Aleksander Aamodt Kilde tells up about his injury nightmare: “Matter of life and death”

The Norwegian alpine skier, who has not raced since January 2024, says his recuperation from injury and a sepsis scare is going well, and he hopes to return to the World Cup this season with an eye on the Olympic Winter Games.

Alexander Aamodt Kilde is undoubtedly fortunate to be alive.

The Norwegian Alpine skier has been sidelined for a year and a half due to a shoulder injury sustained in a fall in the Wengen downhill on January 13, 2024, followed by problems from an infection.

Kilde recently stated that during his injury recuperation, he acquired sepsis (blood poisoning) and only discovered it after visiting a doctor for shoulder problems during a training camp in the US.

Kilde told Norway’s VG last week that sepsis was a life-threatening condition. “I assumed the pain and suffering were normal – but it turns out there was an infection in the shoulder that had spread to the ligaments and bones. It started to enter the bloodstream.”

That prompted him to visit doctors in Colorado in July, just one day before his scheduled flight back to Europe.

“In the U.S., the doctors told me ‘We won’t let you leave, you’re going under the knife and it’s important that we do something now’,” Kilde reported. “I was lucky I didn’t wait any longer.”

However, difficulties required Kilde to undergo further surgery in Austria in August 2024 to clear the infection. Another visit to the surgeon occurred in February of this year.

Kilde on fiancee Shiffrin: “I haven’t seen Mikaela since the beginning of April”

Despite all of the obstacles, including losing strength and weight owing to the antibiotics he had to take to battle the virus, Kilde is now back on skis and training – but not yet on snow. That will happen in August.

Racing at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina would be “the icing on the cake” for him. The men’s downhill in Bormio takes place on February 7; before that, Kilde hopes to return to the first downhill of the World Cup season on December 5 in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

“If I’m back in Beaver Creek, the Olympics can follow – but first you must qualify.”

Kilde’s fiancée, U.S. women’s star Mikaela Shiffrin, has been instrumental in his recovery, although he has not been able to spend much time with her lately. “I haven’t seen Mikaela since the beginning of April,” he told the newspaper.

Marriage is unlikely to happen soon. “One of us has to finish skiing before it’s time,” he told me.

“I’m delighted I have a couple more years in this sport. I’m pleased to stay here as long as possible.”