Mikaela Shiffrin's pursuit of World Cup win No. 100 isn't at the top of her priority list on two months after a serious crash.
For her, the slalom competition Thursday in Courchevel, France, is simply the next step in getting her health back to 100%.
The two-time Olympic champion is still rounding into top form after a spill in a giant slalom race on Nov. 30 in Killington, Vermont, where something punctured her in the side and caused to her oblique muscles.
Shiffrin said she wasn't even sure if she would make it back at all this season.
鈥淭o be here at this point is just so incredible,鈥 Shiffrin said in a video she recorded ahead of Thursday's competition. "It鈥檚 just really hard to zoom out and look at that whole big picture and all the hype (around chasing her 100th win) that has been talked about since the start of the season.
鈥淭his is a step. This is a really big step in my recovery. But it鈥檚 only one step, actually. We鈥檙e taking it as it comes. My biggest goal is to enjoy being back in the start gate again.鈥
The French region has long held a special place for Shiffrin. She's won seven World Cup events at Courchevel/Meribel, spanning four different disciplines. She's captured three world championship medals in this area, too. It's also where she earned her first win after . Jeff Shiffrin died at age 65 in February 2020, in an accident at the family home in Colorado.
鈥淚t was very much the first race that helped me believe on any level that I might be able to return to the form that I had before my dad鈥檚 accident,鈥 explained Shiffrin, who can become the first Alpine ski racer to amass 100 World Cup wins. "It helped me realize that even though my life might never be the same, that doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 not worth it. There is a lot of meaning built into this race for me.
"It鈥檚 pretty beautiful that I鈥檓 able to make this return here.鈥
The road back following her ski crash has been filled with hurdles. Right after the crash, she didn't have the core strength to rise out of a chair. She also needed a surgery to ward off infection from the puncture wound that was millimeters from piercing her colon.
With the help of physical therapist Regan Dewhirst, she's steadily regained her strength. On Jan. 1, Shiffrin was back on skis. Two weeks later, she was executing some easy turns through slalom gates. This race, a return to competition, is just the next step along the way.
鈥淲e kind of hit the ground running once I was able to sit up out of bed,鈥 the 29-year-old Shiffrin explained. 鈥淭hen it was like, 鈥楬ow can we progress every single day?鈥 It鈥檚 felt like an all-out sprint.鈥
Shiffrin said getting to the start gate in Courchevel should be considered a 鈥渉uge, huge victory already.鈥
鈥淎 part of what I hope to show the world is that I want to be here,鈥 she added. 鈥淭hat sounds so simple and so obvious, but I questioned whether or not it鈥檚 even worth returning this season. Even if I could take on that physically, could I take it on mentally? I suppose I have enough of an answer to that, being that I鈥檓 here and we鈥檙e doing it."
What's meant a great deal to Shiffrin has been all the support she's received from teammates and rivals. They would reach out to let her know she was missed on the circuit.
鈥淭hat literally made my day. Every time,鈥 Shiffrin said. 鈥淚 want to be here despite the uncertainties and the doubts.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the mentality I want to take into the start gate and in life. It鈥檚 more of a legacy thing. It鈥檚 like, 鈥業 want to be here and I want to be doing this the best that I can.鈥 That鈥檚 the mentality I鈥檝e taken so far, and that鈥檚 what I hope to continue for the rest of the season.鈥
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AP skiing:
Pat Graham, The Associated Press