Norwegian ski star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde made a triumphant and deeply emotional return to World Cup competition on Thanksgiving Day, exactly 684 days after a horrific crash in Wengen that nearly ended his career and his life.
Racing in the season-opening super-G at Copper Mountain, the 33-year-old speed specialist finished in a tie for 24th place with American Kyle Negomir (1:08.95), 1.25 seconds behind winner Marco Odermatt of Switzerland.
For Kilde — a former overall World Cup champion, four-time discipline title winner, and one of the most decorated active men on the circuit — simply standing in the start gate again felt like victory.
“Honestly, the feeling I had when I was skiing was amazing,” Kilde told reporters afterward. “I had the best time I’ve had in so, so long. Just being on the start was a win for me today.”
Kilde originally planned to make his comeback next week at Beaver Creek’s Birds of Prey — a hill where he has won four times — but strong recent training sessions at Copper convinced him to accelerate the timeline.
“I thought, why not use this as the next step?” he explained. “The best training you can get is a real race.”
Despite admitting his knees were “shaking” from nerves in the starting gate, Kilde skied a clean, controlled run at altitude and reported no issues with the shoulder that required multiple surgeries and extensive rehabilitation.
“I could push, I could handle difficulties, and my shoulder wasn’t even a question,” he said. “I just need a little more meat on the bone for the really steep sections — you could see I lost most of my time in the bottom — but overall I felt surprisingly good.”
At the finish, an emotional scene unfolded as Kilde’s fiancée, American ski legend Mikaela Shiffrin, waited anxiously in the leader area. When Kilde crossed the line safely, Shiffrin — dressed casually in jeans and moon boots — teared up before rushing to embrace him.
“We shared some tears,” Kilde said quietly. “It’s a lot of weight — good days, bad days, hospitals, doubt — everything came at once.”
Shiffrin, who will compete in giant slalom and slalom at Copper this weekend, declined media requests Thursday but was visibly moved by her partner’s return.
Kilde also shared a warm embrace with Odermatt, his longtime rival and friend, who dominated the race for his first super-G victory since February 2023.
With Beaver Creek’s prestigious downhill and super-G races looming next week on a course where Kilde and Odermatt have traded victories in the past, the ski world is already wondering whether the “old Kilde” — the one who ruled the speed events from 2020-2023 — is truly back.
“I feel strong,” Kilde said with a smile. “I’m just super happy right now.”
For a man who spent the last 22 months fighting to walk, let alone ski at World Cup level again, that happiness was the only result that mattered on Thursday.
