Mikaela Shiffrin has been by the side of her fiancé, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, after the Norwegian ski racer tore his Achilles tendon in a training crash in Chile last week — a setback that arrived just as he was finally finding his form again.
Kilde, a former overall World Cup champion and two-time downhill crystal globe winner, ruptured the tendon on October 14 while training with the Norwegian speed team. The Norwegian Ski Federation confirmed the injury the following day. It comes less than two years after a horrific crash at the Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen that left him with a severe calf laceration, torn shoulder ligaments, multiple surgeries, and a life-threatening infection that kept him out for more than two seasons.
In a social media post on October 19, Kilde described the emotional toll. “For a long time it has been all about recovering and getting back to where I was,” he wrote. “Lately that had finally shifted. I was faster, I improved, and I felt better on my skis than I had in a long time. More importantly, I was having more fun on skis than I’d had in years.” He added that he is currently “gutted, angry and frustrated” and needs time to process the news.
Shiffrin traveled to Innsbruck to support him. She shared a message on her Instagram story: “This is hard. And you are tough. You need time to process, and we are here to help you through that. You are a gift to everyone who knows you.” In a comment on Kilde’s post, she wrote, “It’s the kind of blow that would take your soul down too… except it’s you. And you, my King, have the strongest soul I’ve ever known.”
Photos shared by Kilde show Shiffrin lying beside him in a hospital bed and later scooting around on his knee scooter on their balcony — moments that mixed quiet support with lighter notes amid the recovery.
Kilde said the difference this time is having a clear rehabilitation plan. “It won’t be easy, but I’ll focus on what I can control and lean on the people who have my back,” he wrote.
The 34-year-old had returned to competition last season, posting results that included 24th in the season-opening super-G at Copper Mountain and 11th in the downhill at Beaver Creek, before later withdrawing from the World Cup circuit and the 2026 Winter Olympics, saying his mind and body were not yet performing at the required level. He had been training hard in Chile in recent weeks and had recently spoken optimistically about his progress.
The injury arrives as Shiffrin prepares to open her own World Cup season this weekend in Sölden. For now, her focus is also on supporting the man she has described as having the strongest soul she has ever known.
