"I’m thankful that this is the way it went"- Mikaela Shiffrin expresses gratitude after bagging 96th World Cup title in a thrilling comeback

American skier Mikaela Shiffrin recently expressed gratitude after getting her 96th World Cup win at the Alpine skiing World Cup in Are, Sweden. The 28-year-old won the slalom title after enduring a knee injury for six weeks. Looking back at her journey, the skier said she was happy with “the way it went.”

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Shiffrin unlocked her 96th World Cup win and eighth slalom season title on Sunday. The skier raced for the first time after her return from the downhill crash in January, only to clock the fastest time.

She bagged the gold medal by skiing 1.24 seconds ahead of second-placed Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic and 1.34 seconds ahead of third-placed Michelle Gisin of Switzerland.

Shiffrin was flooded with praise from her fans and loved ones after the race. She expressed gratitude towards everyone who supported her on her X (formerly known as Twitter). The skier wrote:

"Thank you to my whole team for their patience, support, and motivation through this whole period…it could have gone a million different ways, but man I’m thankful that this is the way it went."

Shiffrin’s 96th World Cup win is her record-equaling eighth season title with compatriot Lyndsey Vonn in downhill and Ingemar Stenmark in the giant slalom and slalom respectively.

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Mikaela Shiffrin ’s devastating knee injury at Cortina d'Ampezzo

On January 26 this year, Mikaela Shiffrin sustained a devastating knee injury while skiing downhill on the slopes of Cortina d'Ampezzo. The skier was airlifted from the safety net to a nearby hospital for immediate medical examination. It turned out that Shiffrin had an MCL sprain with no major ligament damage.

The injury forced the skier to withdraw from the forthcoming championships. She shared her health update with her fans through her X handle, writing:

"As I have mentioned, there was no major ligament damage and the structure within the joint of my knee looks good. Basically what we're managing is an MCL sprain, a sprain of the tibial-fibular ligaments, as well as the bone bruise that I already had from earlier this season in Levi. I took a ton of stress to my whole leg and stretched a bunch of things that are continuing to cause pain, although that is improving every day."

Later on, Mikaela Shiffrin revealed that she had planned her comeback on March 9 in Are, Sweden. She also shared how the break has immensely affected her chances of winning the “Overall Globe Champion” title.