"It's certainly ingrained in who I am" - Mikaela Shiffrin on World Cup crash as she looks to make a return to skiing

Mikaela Shiffrin is anticipated to compete at the upcoming World Cup Event following her disastrous injury in January this year.

Shiffrin suffered a severe injury after her wrecking crash in Cortina d' Ampezzo, Italy on January 26, 2024. The American skier crashed into the safety nets during the World Cup while attempting a small jump at the huge Tofanaschuss. She lost her control and collided with the nets.

The 28-year-old was evacuated to a clinic in Cortina by helicopter. She sustained an MCL and tibiofibular ligament sprain in her left knee and ankle. During a recent interview with CNN Sports, she stated her awareness of the risks involved in the sport ahead of the upcoming Alpine skiing FIS World Cup in Are, Sweden on March 9 and 10, 2024, where she is expected to to make a return.

"I don't know if this is necessarily a positive thing from my side or negative or if its just what it is, it's certainly ingrained in who I am. I've always been really really aware of the risks that the sport presents and you have to trust that your instinct is going to take over and be somehow protective of your body."

"The truth is I'm not even as 60% of what my best capacity is most of the time when I'm racing because you are just so exhausted from everything and from the schedule, it is really constant. A lot of time I think it's too much."

"We have a lot of really cool opportunities" - Mikaela Shiffrin on her and her boyfriend Aleksander Kilde's decision to not quit the sport even after injuries

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Mikaela Shiffrin attend the Gold Medal Gala at The Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

Days before Mikaela Shiffrin's crash in Italy, her boyfriend Aleksander Kilde suffered an excruciating injury on January 13, 2024.

Kilde met with an accident at the Lauberhorn test at the Wengen downhill in Switzerland. The Norwegian skier was navigating through the snow at 145km/hr when he miscalculated a jump before the finish.

He sustained a dislocated shoulder, a laceration on the calf due to nerve damage, and two torn ligaments. He too was airlifted to Interlaken Hospital before transferring to Bern for surgery.

With both of them recently suffering from serious injuries, in the same interview, Mikaela Shiffrin stated that the couple had contemplated quitting the sport but opted against it due to numerous opportunities.

"We have a lot of really cool opportunities because of the sport but there is always a weight that the risk of crashing and having not just career or season-ending injuries, but actually life-altering injuries," Shiffrin said. "That is a very big weight to carry around."