A few seconds away from being able to claim a symbolic 100th victory, American Mikaela Shiffrin fell heavily during the giant Alpine Ski World Cup in Killington (Vermont, United States) on Saturday.
Big favorite for the slalom scheduled for Sunday, the skier announced in a message posted on Swedish Olympic champion Sara Hector.
“I wish my teammates good luck tomorrow! I will be cheering them on from the sidelines.”a écrit Shiffrin.
In the video attached to this message, the 29-year-old skier indicated that there was no “no real reason to worry” of her condition, while specifying that she had “a good scratch and something stabbed (her)”apparently not serious, at the level of the left hip.
However, the scene was perfectly set with an enthusiastic audience despite a freezing wind (maximum temperature of -2 degrees), who came to support the American star, trained as a teenager in this state in the north-east of the country, before becoming the most great skier in history.
The double Olympic champion, seven-time world champion and five-time winner of the general classification had started her day perfectly by dominating the first round.
American skier Mikaela Shiffrin before her fall in the second round of the Killington giant (Vermont, United States), November 30, 2024 / Joseph Prezioso / AFP
Holder of the absolute record for victories in the World Cup since the start of 2023, ahead of the Swede Ingemar Stenmark (86), Shiffrin was aiming for the symbolic barrier of 100 successes on Saturday after having already won twice in three races this season.
The last skier to start in the second run, after having dominated the first, Shiffrin still had a lead of 17 hundredths of a second over Hector after the second sector of the track.
The American then made a first mistake on a right turn before the slope became steeper.
6th success for Hector
Four doors later, on a new “left foot” (right turn), a second fault brought her to the ground, her head forward, before causing her to hit two doors, then projecting her into the safety nets.
After remaining on the ground for several seconds, “Mikaela went down the track in a boat, and is currently undergoing examinations”indicated the American federation.
Swedish skier Sara Hector victorious over the Killington giant (Vermont, United States), November 30, 2024 / Joseph Prezioso / AFP
“More information to come, but we were comforted that she asked for her split times”writes the organization again.
Shiffrin’s falls are very rare, she has only retired 21 times in 274 World Cup starts since her debut in 2011. She foundered at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, with three falls and no medals.
The ceremonial podium began while she was still on the slope, in a finish area that suddenly became silent.
The Swede Sara Hector, Olympic champion in the specialty in Beijing in 2022, won ahead of the Croatian Zrinka Ljutic (54/100) and the Swiss Camille Rast (1 sec 05).
“I am very happy, after going through a difficult period”commented Hector (32), after his 6th World Cup success.
“Obviously, I am very sad for Mikaela who skied so well, I saw her fall. I have a big thought for her »she added.
After the giant, a slalom is scheduled for Sunday in Killington. Shiffrin won the first two slaloms of the season in Levi (Finland) and Gurgl (Austria) last week.
