Mikaela Shiffrin Issues Potent Message to Teammates Hours Following Career Setback: “Incredible Women”

Mikaela Shiffrin has always felt protected with her mother. Mikaela, who grew up in the little mountain town of Vail, Colorado, was only eight years old when her skiing adventures became more serious. Eileen, a retired masters ski racer who had settled as an ICU nurse after duties took precedence, realised her daughter would require more than simply a competent coach to excel as a competitive alpine skier. Soon enough, the mother made a decision.

Mikaela was just 15 when she qualified for the Nor-Am Cup circuit, a racing series contested in the United States and Canada. A day before her 16th birthday, the skier had already competed in her maiden World Cup event at Spindleruv Mlyn, Czechia. Life was taking a drastic—but momentous—turn, and each day brought a new challenge for the adolescent. However, despite the craziness of her work life, a heartwarming constant always held her together. Eileen, Mikaela’s “best friend,” would speak in a baby voice when she felt her sadness.

The skier would respond in the same voice and chuckle. Everything would be well again in the world. Eileen would act not just as a coach, but also as a travel companion who had spent over a decade on the road, staying in hotels all across Europe, and a manager who had booked Mikaela’s flights and methodically organised her itinerary. Eileen would emerge as the anchor that their daughter needed in those trying times, particularly after the skier’s father Jeff died in 2020 as a result of a brain accident at home.

Today, Mikaela is OK. Though the unexpected jolts of anguish from recalling the moustached man with a camera in hand leave her weak, she pushes through every hardship towards fame. She makes certain to offer her father something to be proud of. More importantly, she ensures her mother’s well-being. Realising that Eileen had dedicated half of her life to her job, the skier requested that her mother step down in 2019. “I don’t feel comfortable continuing to ask you to put your life on hold,” she recalls her mum. Since then, the 29-year-old has been travelling alone. However, she never forgets to give credit to the lady who started it all. On March 8, hours after suffering a sad destiny, the two-time Olympic gold medallist rushed to Instagram to send another beautiful letter…

But this time, it wasn’t just for Eileen; it was for the women surrounding her and beyond. “I am grateful to be surrounded by so many strong women…” On International Women’s Day, she shared a carousel of photos showcasing the strength of womanhood and expressed gratitude to her team, including teammates and competitors, for their daily encouragement and inspiration.

While the majority of the photos featured her colleagues, one had a happy Eileen, her brother Taylor, and her sister-in-law Kristiana. Mikaela and Paula Moltzan were also seen in a shot embracing each other while dressed in their ski suits. The photo appears to be from the skiing veteran’s record 100th FIS World Cup triumph. The five-time Overall World Cup winner appeared in the following two photos alongside Team USA ladies Lauren Macauga, Katie Hensien, Brezzy Jhonson, Paula, AJ Hurt, Jacqueline Wiles, and Nina O’Brien.

Another selfie showed Shiffrin and Breezy Johnson with big smiles and ski gear. The photographs appear to be from another momentous day, February 11. at the combined Alpine Team event at Saalbach, Austria, both American skiers earned their first women’s world titles. It was a new format debut, including downhill and slalom races, and they won by 0.39 seconds over Team Switzerland.

Then there was a photo of Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhova! The same Slovakian skier that prevented Mikaela from winning the Women’s Slalom gold medal at the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. For those who don’t know, their rivalry began when they were children. In 2023, Petra said, “She (Mikaela Shiffrin) pushed me, and I gave from my body to ski better than her.”

Notably, the message came just hours after the skier experienced a devastating setback. Shiffrin won the Giant Slalom event at Åre, Sweden, after dominating it for years. But just into her first run, she miscalculated a corner, lost her course and skied out, resulting in a rare DNF and failing to qualify for the GS final for the first time since 2012. This season has taxed her at every step, including a devastating abdominal ailment that sidelined her for two months in November last year. On February 22, Mikaela responded with full force, becoming the first skier to win 100 World Cup races.

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Åre was meant to be another opportunity to highlight her growth in Giant Slalom, where she has collected 22 career World Cup wins. But fate had different intentions. “Our GS season came to a conclusion today with some really outstanding GS skiing from Mikaela, who worked tirelessly to resuscitate her GS game, which had been severely hampered by her injury in November. Unfortunately, she didn’t finish her first run. On March 8, Eileen posted an Instagram Reel of herself playing with her daughter, expressing her admiration for her kid’s resilience and tenacity.

Despite sadness, Mikaela’s mother saw a silver lining in her defeat, stating, “She made a few good turns’ as you always wanted to see, and those turns make us very excited to see what next season will bring in her GS skiing.” Eileen then described how the team used activities to convert their disappointment into laughing, showcasing their shared relationship. “Gotta love this team; they all just keep smiling and propping us up.”

 

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Although the race in Åre did not go as planned, she is grateful for a supportive community. And let’s be honest: Mikaela’s journey this season has been nothing short of remarkable, including everything.

Mikaela Shiffrin’s Journey This Season

It all began in late November with the FIS World Cup race in Killington, Vermont. She lost control while charging through the huge slalom course, colliding with two gates and slammed into the catch-fence. The hit caused a puncture hole in her right abdomen, and while she was lucky to avoid serious injuries, the fall forced her to withdraw from competition for two months.

She went through two months of gruelling therapy before eventually strapping on her skis on January 30, 2025. The world held its breath. Courchevel, France—a slalom race. Shiffrin pushed through the cold course, her actions planned and cautious. Tenth place. A modest outcome by her standards, but that wasn’t the objective. She’d returned. Then, as if switching a switch, Shiffrin reminded everyone why she is the best skier the sport has ever seen.

February 11, 2025. Saalbach, Austria. She and Breezy Johnson won gold. That wasn’t just another medal; it was her 15th World Championship podium appearance, tying the all-time record set by the legendary Christl Cranz. But what is the season’s defining moment? That occurred on February 23, in Sestriere, Italy.

This was more than simply another World Cup tournament. It was a historic pinnacle that no skier had ever achieved. What are the stakes? A chance for her 100th World Cup triumph. What about the tension? Unbearable. She rocketed down the slalom course with no hesitation or indecision, just pure, unrelenting speed. The clock stopped. The audience exploded. She’d done it. 100 World Cup victories. A number that previously appeared inconceivable.

However, sport may be brutal. Just two weeks later, on March 8, in Are, Sweden, Shiffrin made an unusual error in her opening run of a tight giant slalom race. DNF. She was immediately eliminated from the World Cup Final GS event for the first time since 2012. But we are excitedly expecting for her to appear in the snow again!

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“I couldn’t imagine not trying”- Mikaela Shiffrin makes her thoughts clear about decision to come back in this season after severe injury

Mikaela Shiffrin discussed her choice to return to the professional circuit this season after sustaining a serious injury at the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Killington. The American Alpine skier explained how she decided to compete again this season after watching her improvement during her rehabilitation and recovery process.

Shiffrin’s World Cup collision had a significant impact on her since she had an abrasion on her hip, limiting her movement. In addition, she needed surgery to repair a blood clot in her deep puncture wound. The 29-year-old went through a rehabilitation regimen and gradually worked his way back to the slopes following his accident.

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Mikaela Shiffrin recently spoke on the show ‘We Need to Talk’ about her decision to participate this season rather than postponing her comeback to the next Alpine skiing season. The former World Cup winner explained that she monitored her recovery progress and chose to take on the challenge of competing this season, expecting to deliver her finest performance.

“I think as soon as I kind of realised that there are a lot of checkpoints along the way in this rehab and just kind of okay how’s oblique healing, when can I start activating those muscles, working through isometric work and then rotational and all these different checkpoints and as I was working through them we were getting a better gauge about when realistically return to getting on my skis and then potentially back to training and then potentially back to racing,” she says. (9:45)

“As it became more clear that physically I might be able to withstand racing again this season, I couldn’t imagine not trying, and even though this has been challenging to return, I prefer to be much aware of these challenges than beginning next season,” according to her.

Mikaela Shiffrin talks about racing after overcoming an injury.

Mikaela Shiffrin at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Sestriere 2025 – Source: Getty

In an interview with CBC Olympics, Mikaela Shiffrin discussed her mid-season return to competition after suffering an injury. The former World Cup Champion admitted that it felt different this time since she was competing with a different attitude.

Rather of competing for the championship, she aimed to focus on her recuperation and make great progress.

“It’s a strange place to be returning mid-season from an injury while also returning during the world championships, where the world is, you know, ready for medals, and I’m like, you know, I want to take steps and manage the athletic performance side of it from just the basic recovery side of it. “That’s been very interesting for both my team and me,” she explained.

Shiffrin also praised her staff for their unwavering support during her recuperation and for assisting her in a speedy comeback.

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“Hard to wrap my mind around 100 races”- Mikaela Shiffrin speaks out on reaching a milestone after battling injuries

Mikaela Shiffrin spoke about scoring a milestone victory after suffering with ailments during the Alpine Skiing season. The American Alpine skier just won her 100th World Cup title in Sestriere, cementing her place among the sport’s greats.

However, Shiffrin’s path to the milestone triumph had not been simple. She suffered a huge setback early in the Alpine Skiing in the World Cup Killington, when she crashed just before the finish. Mikaela Shiffrin needed surgery a week after the incident to address a major puncture wound. After a six-week recuperation program, Shiffrin returned to the slopes and struggled to finish on the podium in her first three competitions.

Mikaela Shiffrin won her 100th World Cup in the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Sestriere, and she spoke about it in an interview with We Need to Talk. She admitted that it had required a lot of hard work and devotion from her, and that she couldn’t quite grasp the sensation of success in her thoughts.

“I’m not sure it’s sunk in. I believe 100 represents a lot of labour, effort, patience, and commitment, as well as the relentless getting out and doing it even on days when we’re not inspired from my entire team and all those who have worked with me over the years. “It’s a culmination of a lot of effort and sacrifice,” she remarked.

“It’s difficult to put my mind around 100 races, but it’s much simpler to find value in things like sharing the podium with my colleague Paula Moltzan; that was wonderful. She’s had an incredible season; she earned a gold at the World Championships, which was very great to share with my teammates,” she said.

 

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Mikaela Shiffrin on returning to the slopes following her injury

Mikaela Shiffrin at the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Sestriere 2025 – Source: Getty

Mikaela Shiffrin shared on Instagram her views on returning to competitive skiing after an injury. The American Alpine skier praised her colleagues for their unwavering support and assistance in developing the proper mentality for her comeback to the slopes.

Furthermore, she commended her staff for their continuing patience as she worked through the healing process.

“Before stepping back into the start gate of Giant Slalom, I want thank my teammates who have helped me to wrap my head around the realness and validity of the psychological symptoms involved in this return,” she said on Instagram.

 

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Shiffrin acknowledged that despite returning to the slopes, she still needed to work hard to reach her peak performance.

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Lindsey Vonn was ‘disappointed’ with way Mikaela Shiffrin handled the choice to race with another teammate

SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria (AP) – They are the two greatest skiers in United States history. Specifically, in women’s skiing in general.

It’s hardly surprising that having Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin on the same team might lead to conflict.

It happened years ago, when Vonn was nearing the end of her career and Shiffrin was just starting out. And now it’s happening again, with Vonn returning to racing at the age of 40, nearly six years after retiring.

But who thought that the all-new team-based event would bring the tension to the surface?

Vonn expressed disappointment with Shiffrin’s choice to participate in the combined event at the skiing world championships alongside downhill world champion Breezy Johnson, rather than forming a “dream team.”

Vonn had hoped to race with Shiffrin on an American squad that would have included the two most successful skiers in World Cup history. Never mind that neither skier is officially permitted to choose who they partner with; the U.S. team’s coaching staff makes that decision based on “season-best results” in both downhill and slalom.

Shiffrin withdrew from the team combined race due to a lack of giant slalom training after a November collision in Killington, Vermont.

Shiffrin made a modification to her plans Monday. She stated that she was struggling to overcome her worries following her November fall, so she chose to withdraw from defending her giant slalom championship and run the combined instead, teaming with Johnson. Shiffrin will compete in the slalom, while Johnson will race the downhill.

Slalom has lower speeds than giant slalom, making it a less risky sport.

“I’m happy for Breezy and Mikaela to work together, and I think they’ll make an excellent combination. However, I am upset in how it was handled,” Vonn told The Associated Press.

Vonn said she contacted Shiffrin, who agreed it would be amazing to compete together. However, Vonn was then informed that Shiffrin will not be competing in the combined. Vonn just found out about Shiffrin’s ultimate choice to race it via Instagram.

“Despite the lack of communication I am a team player and am looking forward to be partnered with AJ Hurt, who is an amazing young skier,” he said.

Shiffrin’s spokesperson declined to comment on the matter.

A new event has one racer participating in downhill and another in slalom.

The combined event consists of one racer participating in a downhill run and another in a slalom run, with the two times put together to determine the final results. Each nation may enter up to four partnerships.

Johnson won the world downhill title, and Shiffrin won two World Cups this season, therefore they were nominated to Team 1.

The No. 2 team consists of super-G bronze medallist Lauren Macuga and Paula Moltzan. Vonn and Hurt are ranked third, followed by Jacqueline Wiles and Katie Hensien in fourth place.

Shiffrin and Vonn have the most World Cup victories among female racers, with 99 and 82, respectively. Vonn has the most World Cup downhill victories (43), while Shiffrin has the most slalom victories (62), both among men and women.

“I think it would be probably one of the coolest things in ski racing to have 181 World Cup victories on one team,” Vonn stated only a week prior.

While Hurt, 24, has never won a World Cup event, she has finished third twice, once in slalom and once in giant slalom last season.

Vonn reacts with astonishment on social media, then deletes a post.

Before delivering her explanatory comment, Vonn looked angry that Shiffrin was not racing beside her.

“Why am I not surprised?” Vonn posted a shrug emoji on X after witnessing Shiffrin’s Instagram news.

Vonn erased the previous statement and replaced it with a new post on X, stating, “I am a team player and always support my team no matter what.” I am not shocked by the judgements taken, but it is evident that they are not mine. “I’ve always been supportive and respectful, and that won’t change,” Vonn added, ending with a Go USA flag emoji.

Mikaela Shiffrin reflects on her 100th World Cup victory in an in-depth interview

Mikaela Shiffrin questioned if she’d be able to compete again this season following a massive slalom collision on November 30, let alone return to the top of a World Cup podium so soon after winning her record-extending 100th career race last Sunday.

Shiffrin discussed the victory in an in-depth interview for a Stifel Snow Show episode that aired Saturday (available on the NBC Sports YouTube channel). The extended interview is at the top of this page.

“There’s so much more meaning to this one than a number or a record,” she told me. “I wouldn’t call it a relief. It’s almost surprising given what’s transpired in the previous several months. I honestly did not expect 100 to happen this season, so I am grateful.”

Shiffrin was remarkably injury-free for the first 12 years of her World Cup participation.

However, in 2024, she suffered two major crashes, including spraining her left leg ligaments in a downhill tumble in January. She missed 11 races last winter.

Then, following the November 30 collision, she was out of competition for two months. She had a penetrating wound that tore oblique muscles and almost punctured organs.

“It has been feeling very similar, to be honest, to this kind of mental fog that I had the year after my dad passed (in 2020),” she told me. “So communicating that, talking with my psychologist, talking with teammates, letting anybody and everybody kind of give me advice, and the main thing that everyone said is the only way to move through this is to get the exposure and to keep doing it (ski racing).”

Shiffrin’s upcoming events are a World Cup giant slalom and slalom in Åre, Sweden, next weekend.

She will turn 30 on March 13 before competing in the World Cup Finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, from March 22 to 27.