Mikaela Shiffrin: American airlifted to hospital after crash in Italy
- Published
Mikaela Shiffrin was airlifted to hospital after the crash halfway through her run
American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin was airlifted to hospital after crashing in Friday's women's downhill race in Cortina d'Ampezzo.
The 28-year-old lost control halfway through her run and collided with the nets surrounding the slope in Italy.
Shiffrin was thankful, external it was "not worse" after scans appeared to show knee ligaments 'seem intact'?
"Thank you everyone for your support and well wishes," she said. "At this point I'm just taking it day by day."
Austrian Stephanie Venier, 30, claimed victory in Friday's downhill to secure her second World Cup win.
Shiffrin holds the all-time record of World Cup wins with 95 race victories.
She added on Instagram: "I'll share more information or updates as I know more. Very thankful it's not worse, but I'm pretty sore at the moment.
"I won't be skiing the rest of this weekend, and I won't be skiing in Kronplatz. Beyond that, it's quite hard to say right now. Need a little time to process with my team and see how everything is feeling in the coming days! Thank you all!"
Earlier on Friday, the US Ski & Snowboard Team said Shiffrin would continue to be assessed, but her anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in the left knee "seem intact".
"Mikaela Shiffrin was taken by ambulance to the clinic in Cortina and is being evaluated for a left leg injury. Initial analysis shows the ACL and PCL seem intact. Further details to come," posted the team., external
The race was interrupted for more than 20 minutes before she was airlifted from the site by helicopter.
The crash comes days after Shiffrin extended her record of World Cup wins to 95 and claimed a landmark 150th podium of her career with a slalom victory in Jasna, Slovakia.
It was the first race since Slovakia's Petra Vlhova, the Olympic slalom champion and Shiffrin's closest rival, suffered a season-ending knee injury.