Mikaela Shiffrin's fiancé, Aleksander Kilde, reflected on his 2024 year, acknowledging the hurdles he faced on the professional front. Kilde suffered a major crash during a World Cup downhill race in Wengen, Switzerland.
The crash led to severe injuries that included a dislocated shoulder and two torn shoulder ligaments as well as an injury on his knee that needed immediate medical attention by undergoing surgery. Kilde ultimately ended his season after the crash as he opted to focus on recovery. The Norwegian Alpine skier recently returned to the slopes almost 11 months after the crash and shared glimpses of his time on social media.
Additionally, he got engaged to American Alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin in April 2024. Kilde took to Instagram to reflect on his year. He revealed how the year was different and offered a contrast of good and bad experiences.
Furthermore, he expressed his desire to return to the professional circuit very soon.
"2024... I guess this should have been up a couple weeks ago, but I’ve needed some time to process. 2024 has been different to say the least. I’ve experienced my biggest challenges and my happiest moments. Things I’d like to forget and things I’ll never forget," he wrote.
"I like to look at this year being a year of perspectives. When you’re forced into being away from what you love, it makes you look at things with a different mindset. Honestly can’t wait to work my way back to where I want to be," he added.
Aleksander Kilde on the intricacies of the downhill crash
Aleksander Kilde spoke about his injury after the downhill crash in an interview with Der Standard. The Norwegian Alpine Skier spoke about how the crash happened so rapidly that he could not recall the tiny details. He also shed light on the dangers of high-speed downhill skiing.
“Two muscles, including the infraspinatus muscle on the back of the shoulder, are still loose, meaning they are not connected to the bone. This means that I have severe limitations in my shoulder. Infections in the shoulder bone have destroyed the connection to the muscle. The infection started to corrode the bone. I have to wait until the infection has gone before I can have another operation. I'm doing everything I can to make sure that happens soon," he said.
Furthermore, Kilde shared that the injury could have been life-threatening as he was close to getting blood poisoning.