Aleksander Aamodt Kilde had only recently begun to feel like himself again after a January 2024 crash left him with nerve damage, a severe cut, and ligament injuries that required multiple surgeries. After nearly two years of recovery, he returned to the World Cup circuit in November 2025. Just as he was finding his feet again, Mikaela Shiffrin’s fiancé suffered another setback on October 14, 2026, when he ruptured his Achilles tendon in a downhill training crash in Chile. Days after the accident, he has broken his silence, opening up about his frustration over the latest injury.
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On October 19, Kilde shared an emotional post on Instagram, admitting that the latest accident happened just as he was beginning to enjoy skiing again. “WHAT THE F…” he began before explaining how much his situation had changed in recent months. “For a long time it has been all about recovering and getting back to where I was. 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 wrote.
The 34-year-old did not hide how difficult it had been to accept the latest setback. “Then this happens. It’s brutal, and it’s hard to accept,” Kilde added. He also spoke about the lessons his parents taught him, explaining, “My parents taught me to focus on solutions: if you can change something, do it. If you can’t, accept it or let it go,” he shared.
Despite that mindset, Kilde admitted that he was struggling to process what had happened. “Let’s be clear: right now, I’m gutted, angry and frustrated. I need a bit of time to process it,” he wrote, giving fans an honest look at his feelings after the accident.
Still, the Norwegian skier is trying to look ahead rather than dwell on what he has lost. “What’s different this time is that I have a clear rehab roadmap, and that helps. 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. Kilde also thanked fans for their messages of support, adding that they meant more to him than they knew and promising to keep them updated.
Alongside the message, Kilde shared a series of photographs and a video documenting moments from his recovery. The first image showed him lying in a hospital bed beside Shiffrin. Another photograph showed him being transported in a rectangular medical rescue basket with mesh sides following his recent training crash in Chile.
Other images offered a look at the people standing by him throughout his recovery, including a photograph with his mother at home and another featuring Shiffrin doing balance exercises while using a support frame. Kilde also included a picture of his injured leg, along with an older video of himself skiing smoothly. The last pic he shared was a group picture in which he was sitting in a wheelchair with a large dark brace supporting his right leg.
Shiffrin also left a heartfelt comment under the post, expressing her admiration for Kilde’s strength as he faces yet another setback. “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,” she wrote. Shiffrin’s words carry added weight, as she knows firsthand how devastating a serious skiing injury can be.
Mikaela Shiffrin’s crash made Aleksander Aamodt Kilde’s injury battle even harder
Before his devastating crash in January 2024, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde had established himself as one of the world’s leading alpine ski racers. He won the men’s overall Alpine Skiing World Cup title in 2020, followed by the downhill title in 2022 and 2023. At the Beijing Winter Olympics in 2022, he also claimed silver in the alpine combined and bronze in the super-G.
However, his successful career came to a sudden halt on January 13, 2024, when he crashed during the men’s downhill race in Wengen, Switzerland. Near the finish, Kilde lost control, was thrown off his skis and slammed into the safety fencing. The impact left him with a deep cut and nerve damage in his right calf, along with a dislocated left shoulder and serious ligament injuries. He was treated at the scene before being airlifted to hospital, bringing his 2023-24 season to an abrupt end.
His recovery soon became more complicated than initially expected. Kilde underwent multiple surgeries on his shoulder, but in 2024, he developed an infection that led to sepsis, a potentially life-threatening condition. The infection required further medical treatment and prolonged his rehabilitation, keeping him away from competitive skiing for the remainder of the 2023-24 season and all of the 2024-25 campaign.
While Kilde was still working towards his return, his fiancée, Mikaela Shiffrin, suffered a serious crash of her own on November 30, 2024, during the giant slalom at Killington, Vermont. She had been leading after the first run and was closing in on her 100th World Cup victory when she lost control near a gate and crashed into the safety netting. The American skier sustained a deep puncture wound to her abdomen and severe muscle trauma. Although scans showed no damage to her internal organs, she required surgery and spent weeks recovering from the injury.
Shiffrin returned to competition in January 2025 and went on to claim her historic 100th World Cup victory in February. Kilde’s comeback took longer. After nearly two years away from competition, he returned to the World Cup circuit in November 2025, although he was still dealing with the effects of his shoulder injury and working to regain his previous form. He later withdrew from the 2026 Winter Olympics because he did not feel physically and mentally ready to compete at the level he expected of himself.
Just as Kilde was beginning to make progress and enjoy skiing again, another setback arrived.