In a poignant display of love and resilience, alpine skiing icon Mikaela Shiffrin celebrated her fiancé Aleksander Aamodt Kilde’s triumphant return to the slopes, sharing an emotional message that has resonated deeply within the tight-knit world of competitive skiing. As Kilde, the Norwegian downhill specialist, eases back into training ahead of the 2025-26 World Cup season, Shiffrin’s words—“My hope is they find someone who loves and heals them like Aleksander”—underscore not just their unbreakable bond, but the profound healing journey the couple has navigated together over the past 21 months.
Kilde, 29, marked a major milestone this week by posting a video on Instagram of himself carving smooth lines down a pristine glacier course in Europe, his first full skiing session since a horrific crash at the Wengen downhill race in January 2024. The high-speed tumble left him with a dislocated shoulder, two torn ligaments, and severe knee damage, sidelining the 2020 Olympic silver medalist for an entire season. What followed was a grueling recovery: multiple surgeries, including a shoulder reconstruction to address lingering infections and muscle detachments, and months of intensive rehabilitation that tested his physical and mental limits.
“It’s been the toughest time of my life,” Kilde admitted in a candid interview earlier this year, reflecting on the “ups and downs” of his rehab. “But climbing out of that struggle? That’s what drives me now. I’m coming back stronger—for myself, for the sport, and for everyone who’s been through something similar.” His latest update, captioned “Full of highs, lows & everything in between,” showed him executing precise turns with a grin, a far cry from the hospital bed photos he shared post-surgery in February 2025, where he congratulated Shiffrin on her record-breaking 100th World Cup win from afar.
Shiffrin, the 30-year-old American superstar with 101 World Cup victories under her belt, reshared the video on her social media with the touching caption that has since garnered thousands of likes and shares. “In awe of you every day,” she wrote alongside the quote, adding a string of heart-eyes emojis. The message, directed at those facing injury or hardship, highlights Kilde’s role as her emotional anchor—not just as a partner, but as a healer during her own battles. The couple, engaged since April 2024 after dating since 2021, first crossed paths at a World Cup event in Chile back in 2014.
Their story is one of synchronized triumphs and synchronized trials. Just months after Kilde’s crash, Shiffrin suffered a near-life-threatening abdominal puncture during a November 2024 crash at Killington, Vermont, while chasing her 100th win. The injury required emergency surgery to drain a hematoma and address complications like air bubbles near her colon, forcing her into her own “survival mode,” as she later described it in a PEOPLE magazine exclusive. “We both have been in survival mode for the last year and a half,” Shiffrin said in April 2025. “Total survival mode. I didn’t want to be touched—it hurt to laugh. But Aleksander? He’s the one who kept us grounded.”
Through long-distance stretches—Shiffrin competing on the circuit while Kilde rehabbed at home—the pair leaned on video calls, shared playlists, and goofy training montages. By June 2025, they reunited for joint sessions, blending intense workouts with lighthearted dances to keep spirits high. Shiffrin, who returned to the podium in January 2025 after her injury, has since added another victory to her tally, but she credits Kilde’s unwavering kindness for her mental fortitude. “He’s an incredible person,” she told Olympics.com in February. “Even waking up from surgery, sick from the meds, he’s still nice, still thankful. That’s what heals you more than anything.”
Kilde’s comeback is timed perfectly for the upcoming season opener at Sölden in late October, with eyes on defending his downhill title at Beaver Creek in December and gearing up for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. His training footage reveals no visible hesitation, a testament to the meticulous work with physiotherapists and mental coaches. “It’s not over—I’ll do whatever it takes,” he vowed in January, a sentiment echoed in his recent posts teasing a mindset series, “Kilde.unscripted,” set to launch soon.
Fans and fellow athletes flooded social media with support, from retired Swiss racer Marco Büchel, who called the crash “shocking” but praised Kilde’s grit, to messages of inspiration for those in recovery. Shiffrin’s tribute, in particular, struck a chord, reminding the skiing community that behind the medals lies a human story of love as a ultimate salve.
As the snow falls thicker in the Rockies, Shiffrin and Kilde prepare to race side by side once more. For now, though, it’s the quiet victories—the shared glances across the finish line, the healing touch after a hard fall—that truly define their legacy. In Shiffrin’s words: It’s not just about the slopes. It’s about who’s there when you can’t stand on them.
