Mikaela Shiffrin reacts as 22-year-old American skier Lauren Macuga defeats Lindsey Vonn and others to win her first World Cup super-G race in Austria

Mikaela Shiffrin reacted to fellow US skier Lauren Macuga, who won her first World Cup win in super-G in Sankt Anton, Austria. Shiffrin is currently on a break from skiing because of an injury she sustained in the giant slalom race in Killington.

Shiffrin, who took her 99th win at the 2024/25 World Cup circuit, was just a win away from touching the century mark when she faced an abdominal crash. She underwent an unexpected surgery to address a cavity deeper than the wound, thus missing out on races in the ongoing season.

Despite her absence on the slopes, Shiffrin makes her presence felt by cheering for her fellow US skiers on social media. In a recent Instagram story, she extended heartfelt wishes to Lauren Macuga, who clinched the super-G win in Sankt, Austria.

"Waking up to this has me (crying emojis). Lets Gooooo !!"

Mikaela Shiffrin reacts to Lauren Macuga's win; Instagram - @mikaelashiffrin

Lindsey Vonn, who came out of retirement after five years, finished an impressive fourth, just 1.24s behind the winner, months after her partial knee replacement. Lara Gut-Behrami and Federica Brignone finished second and third.

Shiffrin further reacted to a picture of Macuga sitting on top while her teammates cheered after the trophy ceremony, as per the US Ski team's Instagram page.

The original post caption read:

"A day we will never, ever forget 🇺🇸"

Sharing the post, the 99-time World Cup winner wrote:

"Foreverrrr"

Lauren Macuga's win garners appreciation from Mikaela Shiffrin; Instagram - @mikaelashiffrin

Mikaela Shiffrin returned to skiing during her rehabilitation. Accompanied by her physical therapist, Regan Dewhirst, the 29-year-old hit the slopes and finished three runs successfully.

"Was a successful on snow test. We did three runs. Nothing crazy but that was so much fun," she said in the video.

In addition to Shiffrin, her fiance, Norwegian skier Aleksander Kilde, has also ruled himself out of races due to an injury he sustained during the 2023/24 World Cup season.

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Mikaela Shiffrin kicked off her New Year's with health updates and dropped a hint of her ski return

Mikaela Shiffrin at the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - (Source: Getty)

Shiffrin suffered a harrowing downhill crash during the 2023/24 World Cup season, sustaining an MCL injury. She missed out on 11 races and the overall podium. Her second injury in the ongoing season was unfortunate, but the two-time Olympic gold medalist quickly resumed training.

In an Instagram post on January 2, 2025, she wished New Year's with her progression updates, confirming she would only return when she feels the most confident to ski with intensity. In the meantime, she would enjoy watching her teammates.

"Making progress over here…I can move and sweat and use my body which is so exciting! This next phase of recovery is all about getting my strength and conditioning back as much as possible while working within the limitations of my obliques.. Hoping to work into some easy turns on snow in the next week or so."

She added:

"There’s a little ways to go before I’m ready to truly ski with intensity—from a pain and a fitness perspective—but I am psyched with where we’re at now, kicking off 2025! And in the meantime, I’m loving watching the World Cup races!"

The recent episode of 'Moving Right Along' (a series she started on her YouTube channel in 2022) revolves around Mikaela Shiffrin's giant slalom crash.