Shiffrin avoided serious injury, the Team USA coach said
Mikaela Shiffrin was hospitalized on Friday after a scary fall during the skiing World Cup in Italy.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist lost control after going airborne off a jump, falling and crashing into the safety nets.
Shiffrin was tended to by trainers before favoring her left leg, unable to put any weight on it.
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Mikaela Shiffrin of Team United States during the inspection during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Downhill training on January 25, 2024, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. (Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
She was about 20 seconds into her run at the Olympia delle Tofane course that will be used for the 2026 Milan-Cortina games.
Shiffrin was loaded into a helicopter and taken halfway down the mountain to a landing area for further evaluation, per protocol - but she was transported to the hospital by an ambulance.
The 28-year-old looks to have avoided serious injury - her team says "initial analysis shows the ACL and PCL seem intact."
"She’s actually quite good," U.S. team coach Paul Kristofic said after the crash.
Mikaela Shiffrin of Team United States crashes out during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Downhill on January 26, 2024, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. (Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
"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 will not race for the remainder of the weekend, and at this point, it's unclear when she'll return.
It's somewhat of déjà vu for the skier, who didn't finish three of her five races at the Beijing Olympics in 2022 and failed to medal in her other two, an overall a disappointing turnout after winning a gold medal in each of the previous two Olympics.
Mikaela Shiffrin of Team United States takes 1st place during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Slalom on January 21, 2024, in Jasna Slovakia. (Paul Brechu/Agence Zoom/Getty Images)
But Shiffrin's 95 wins at the World Cup are a record, and assuming she'll be back in action in 2026, she'll be a threat to bring home more hardware.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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