A scary moment for skier Mikaela Shiffrin.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist suffered a terrifying crash while competing in a World Cup competition, the Stifel Killington Cup in Vermont, Nov. 30. The 29-year-old hit two gates before crashing into a fence during a giant slalom event, which ultimately resulted in “severe muscle trauma,” the U.S. Ski Team said in a statement.
Shiffrin, who was sidelined from the rest of the event as a result of her injury, detailed her crash the following day, telling NBC Sports Dec. 1 that she has a “stab wound” in one of her oblique muscles, but that it’s unclear exactly what punctured her abdomen.
“We’re just not totally sure how I got punctured,” she said. “All things considered, quite lucky.”
The skier also shared a message for her fans directly from her hospital bed following the incident, revealing that she’d be cheering on her teammates “from the sidelines” for the rest of the competition.