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Mikaela Shiffrin, on the cusp of 100th win, wipes out at the alpine ski World Cup

Shiffrin did not finish after clipping a gate on her second run, and will miss the second day of the Killington Cup

kari anderson
Contributing writer
·3-min read
Mikaela Shiffrin, of the United States, competes during a women's World Cup giant slalom skiing race, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Killington, Vt. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Mikaela Shiffrin had a strong first run at the Killington Cup, but failed to finish the second run after clipping a gate. (AP/Robert F. Bukaty)

American alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, on the cusp of history, instead ended the Stifel Killington Cup with disappointment.

Shiffrin was on track to earn her 100th World Cup win at the Killington Cup on Saturday, a stop on the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup held in Vermont. But while making her second run down the mountain in the giant slalom race, Shiffrin wiped out and failed to finish.

Shiffrin ended the first run in first place with a time of 55.78, finishing 0.32 seconds ahead of Swedish skier Sara Hector. Shiffrin then went last on the second run, but seemingly clipped a gate and became entangled in the netting that marked out of bounds. She did not finish the run.

Per Noah Cierzan of MyNBC5, Shiffrin was carted off the slopes on a sled after needing help getting untangled from the netting. Shiffrin sustained a puncture wound to the right side of her abdomen and severe muscle trauma, the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team said on Sunday. Her bones and internal organs are OK, however, and there was no ligament damage assessed.

Hector went on to win the event as a result, and sits first in the World Cup standings. Shiffrin is now in 11th place in the World Cup standings, after winning two of the four events so far.

Later on Saturday, Shiffrin posted a video on social media, appearing in relatively good spirits. Shiffrin said that she had a significant abrasion from the fall, but that there was "not really too much cause for concern at this point."

"I am so sorry to scare everybody, and it looks like all scans so far are clear, so thank you for the support and concern," Shiffrin said, congratulating the winners.

Shiffrin added congratulations to her Team USA teammate Elisabeth Bocock, who earned her first World Cup points after ending in 23rd place, and teammates Paula Moltzan and Nina O'Brien for earning career best times.

In the caption to the video, Shiffrin said that she will be on the sidelines for the second day of the Killington Cup on Sunday.

If and when Shiffrin returns to competition, she will have plenty of chances to go for the record this season: The World Cup tour includes 24 events before the World Ski Championships in February. The Killington Cup will be followed by events in Colorado, Switzerland and Austria throughout December. Two giant slalom races in Quebec's Mont Tremblant were supposed to take place Dec. 7-8, but have been canceled due to a lack of snow; FIS is working to reschedule those races.