"Fighting for my life" - Mikaela Shiffrin's fiance Aleksander Kilde reveals intricacies of devastating crash that led him to undergo surgery

Mikaela Shiffrin's fiancé, Aleksander Kilde, opened up about the downhill crash he experienced at the Alpine Skiing World Cup 2023/24. The harrowing fall left him with a lacerated calf, a dislocated shoulder, and other bruises.

Mikaela Shiffrin, the alpine skier with 99 World Cup wins, and her fiancé, Aleksander Kilde, were competing in the 2023/24 season when he fell on the final turn and crashed into the safety net in the Wengen downhill on January 13, 2024. Kilde tried to sit up but had to be lifted by the medical staff instead. He received instant treatment on his right leg and was then taken to the Interlaken Hospital in a helicopter.

The setback kept him out of the rest of the season, and he underwent weeks of rehabilitation to regain his abilities. Reflecting on the fall's impact, the 2020 overall World Cup winner recently spoke to Audi in an episode named 'Kilde: unscripted.'"

I'm fighting for my life. And the impact you have when you go full 90 degrees into the net is brutal. The trauma, everything, it brought some thoughts into my head where I was just like, I never want to experience this again. And maybe this was my last time skiing down a mountain. That were my thoughts." (4:50)

His first Instagram post after his crash featured him on the hospital bed, posing for a selfie with his fiance Mikaela Shiffrin. Expressing gratitude to the latter and the fans for the heartfelt wishes, he wrote:

"I’m here (and being taken care of by the one and only @mikaelashiffrin)…patched up…thank you so much for all of the messages. I’m grateful for all the words of love and support. This sport can be brutal, but I still love it."

Kilde also posted updates about his progression in and out of the hospital on his Instagram handle.

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Mikaela Shiffrin's fiance Aleksander Kilde announced his absence from the 2024/25 alpine skiing World Cup season

Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Men's Giant Slalom - Source: Getty

Weeks after his shoulder repair, the 32-year-old updated about an infection in his shoulder during rehabilitation, which required him to take IV antibiotics for six weeks until the infection healed.

Last month, he shared an Instagram post to talk about the need for another surgery since two of his shoulder muscles weren't attached.

"‘After my crash in Wengen and some tough weeks, things started to get better, and by June, I was even skiing again in Oslo. Unfortunately, in July, I developed a shoulder infection that caused some complications. After 10 weeks of antibiotics, I now need another surgery to fully fix the shoulder."

Mikaela Shiffrin's fiance then announced that there would not be any racing for him in the current season.

"I was asking myself, am I going to be able to really use my shoulder ever again? ... There's not going any racing for me this season," he added.

Kilde boasts an impressive career in alpine skiing, having won 21 World Cup races and two Olympic medals in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.