What was supposed to be the culmination of Mikaela Shiffrin’s 100th birthday^Th The World Cup victory ended with a crash on her second run in Killington, Vermont on Saturday (November 30).

Instead, she was the reigning Olympic champion Sarah Hector who took the top step of the podium in the women’s giant slalom after a confident second run and a combined winning time of 1:53.08

of Croatia Zrinka Ljutic finished second, 0.54 seconds behind Camille Rast The Swiss took third place, just over a second behind Hector.

Shiffrin was close to reaching the magic mark of 100 titles thanks to a lead of 0.32 seconds over Hector after the first run. The 29-year-old Shiffrin has already cemented her name as the most successful alpine skier in history when she surpassed ski legend Ingemar Stenmark’s record in March 2023, reaching number 87.

But her victory lap on home snow was not to be successful as she grazed a gate halfway, crashed and slid into the net. Shiffrin was picked up from the slopes by sleigh and was farewelled with great cheers by the local fans.

“Mikaela took the sled with her and is currently being evaluated. More information to come, but take comfort in the fact that she asked about her splits,” said US Ski and Snowboard.

While ski fans hold their breath, the American ski legend Lindsey Vonnwho is coming out of retirement, posted on social media: “I hope @MikaelaShiffrin is well 🙏🙏.”

More updates to follow