- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 460,407
- Reaction score
- 44
You must be registered for see images attach
Kevin Mazur/Getty
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Mikaela Shifrin
Despite a life-threatening injury last November, Mikaela Shiffrin expects to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics — and make her way back to the podium.
But Shiffrin, 30, will have to do so without the support of her fiancé, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the record-breaking skier tells PEOPLE in a new interview.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist says the current plan for the 2026 Winter Games is for the men and women skiers to compete on two separate mountains located roughly six hours away from each other.
“We likely won't see each other during the Olympics,” Shriffrin says, thinking ahead to 2026.
“The men are going to be racing in Bormio, and it's about a five-, six-hour drive away from Cortina [Italy],” Shiffrin says about the locations.
But Shiffrin says the couple is used to cheering each other on from afar during competitions, especially the Olympics.
“I think when we're there, we're in the thick of it and it's busy and you're focused,” the U.S. skier says. “We call each other. We're very used to being like ships passing in the night.”
Related: Mikaela Shiffrin Recalls Being in 'Survival Mode' with Her Fiancé After Their Respective Ski Injuries (Exclusive)
You must be registered for see images attach
Mikaela Shiffrin/Instagram
Mikaela Shiffrin and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde
Shiffrin won her record-breaking 100th World Cup skiing event earlier this year after making a miraculous return to skiing less than three months after sustaining a puncture to her abdomen during a crash at a competition in Vermont last November.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Related: Who Is Mikaela Shiffrin's Fiancé? All About Aleksander Aamodt Kilde
You must be registered for see images attach
Frazer Harrison/Getty
Mikaela Shiffrin and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde
The couple announced their engagement in April 2024 after first making their relationship public with a red-carpet debut at the 2021 ESPY Awards.
Shiffrin tells PEOPLE this season has been hard because of their recent injuries citing Kilde’s "brutal" crash in Switzerland during a January 2024 competition, and that they’re been in a sort of “survival mode."
“Long distance is super hard, but he makes it so manageable,” Shiffrin says. “So long story short, [we’re] crossing our fingers that he is also able to get [to the 2026 Olympics] and then all the stars align and all the work is done and pays off, so that we're both able to compete. I would be just so excited to watch him get back in the start gate of a race and then the Olympics.”
Read the original article on People
Continue reading...
