Aleksander Kilde has made the difficult decision to end his season early due to ongoing injury struggles. After announcing that his body needs more time to recover, he received heartfelt support from his fiance, Mikaela Shiffrin, and another big name in the sport, Lindsey Vonn.
Kilde, one of the most dominant downhill skiers of recent years, has been battling to regain full fitness after suffering serious injuries in January 2024. He went through a heartbreaking downhill crash during his race in Wengen, Switzerland. This led to him undergoing surgery for a major cut and nerve damage in his right calf. In addition to this, he also sustained two torn ligaments in his shoulder.
Although he managed to return to the World Cup circuit this year, his body has struggled to cope with the demands of elite-level racing. In a heartfelt and honest statement, Kilde explained why he ultimately decided to shut things down for the remainder of the season, which also leads to his withdrawal from the 2026 Winter Olympics. He posted a few pictures on Instagram of him on the slopes and penned a note that read:
“Returning to the World Cup this season already means more to me than I could have imagined a year ago. Just making it back was a victory I’ll always be proud of.But l’ve also learned that coming back after complex injuries and so much time away is tougher than I expected. With the sudden jump in full-speed training on 3/6 my body has needed more time than my mind would like. That’s led to the back issues that kept me out of Kitzbühel and made racing in Crans-Montana anything but easy.Because of that, l’ve decided to end my season earlier than planned,” wrote Aleksander Kilde.
Here is the full note:
Among the first to react to the Norwegian’s announcement was his longtime partner and fellow skiing superstar, Mikaela Shiffrin. She responded with a heartwarming message for her fiancé that read:
“I love you❤️💪”
Vonn, who knows the pain of injury struggles all too well and recently met with a crash in Switzerland, also weighed in with an encouraging reaction. She commented:
“You already won!!!💪”
Aleksander Kilde opened up about making a comeback to World Cup racing after devastating crash
After suffering the devastating accident in January 2024, Aleksander Kilde made a comeback to the slopes after a grueling 685 days. After getting multiple surgeries and a lengthy rehabilitation process, Kilde made a comeback to international competition in December 2025. Following his race at the Stifel Copper Cup, he spoke to US Ski & Snowboard about his return.
Opening up about how it felt to return to the slopes with his fiance, Mikaela Shiffrin, by his side, he said:
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