Mikaela Shiffrin withdraws from competing in Giant Slalom in Saalbach 

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin has announced her withdrawal from Giant Slalom at the upcoming World Cup race in Saalbach, Austria.

Shiffrin has stepped down from competing in the event due to unpreparedness and a lack of time to 'go through the right progression' in training. On January 26, 2024, the American Skier suffered a disastrous injury after a dangerous crash in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

The skiing legend went through a recovery program before making a return in Are, Sweden, earlier this month. Turning 29 on March 13, 2024, she stated her decision to pull out from Giant Slalom slated from March 16 to 24 this year. She also expressed her gratitude to fans for their birthday wishes, which she spent training for the GS.

"Hey just wanna say thank you all for the birthday wishes. I really appreciate it and I had a nice day. I had a productive GS session actually but we have just run out of time to go through the right progression to be ready to race GS at World Cup Finals on Sunday. So we're taking GS off the schedule", Shiffrin wrote.

Even after withdrawing from the GS, Shiffrin still intends to compete in the last slalom race of the season.

"I'm going to focus on Slalom. I'm really excited for one final slalom race of the season. I'm looking forward to pushing out the gate one more time and then get right into prep for next year. So thank you again for the birthday wishes and yeah here we go", she added.

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"I’m thankful that this is the way it went" - Mikaela Shiffrin secures eight slalom season title after making her return

Mikaela Shiffrin of Team United States takes 1st place during the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women's Slalom in Are, Sweden.

Mikaela Shiffrin grappled with serious injuries after her crash in Italy. She slammed into the safety nets as she lost control while attempting a jump before Cortina’s Tofana Schuss.

Shiffrin suffered an MCL and tibiofibular ligament sprain in her left knee and ankle. She was evacuated to a hospital in Cortina by helicopter. Undeterred by the critical injuries, she returned to Are, Sweden, and proved her legacy, following her recovery regime.

Shiffrin clinched her eight-slalom season title after recording the fastest time of 49.94 seconds in the first run. She also secured her 96th World Cup victory after registering a time of 1:42.95.

After the win, Shiffrin took to social media to express her delight and wrote:

“We don’t need a lot, and we don’t care if we F it up. If this is what we got, why not? Give it all we got.”

"A big thank you to my whole team for their patience, support, and motivation through this whole period…it could have gone a million different ways, but man I’m thankful that this is the way it went.🙏❤️"