SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria — Mikaela Shiffrin has some positive news to share regarding her health: two and a half months after suffering a serious injury that almost punctured her colon, she is no longer experiencing any abdominal pain.

The upcoming challenge for the American skier is regaining her peak performance as she aims for a record-setting 16th medal at the world championships, competing in the slalom event set for Saturday.

Since her mishap on November 30 during a giant slalom race in Killington, Vermont, Shiffrin has participated in only two competitions. Last month, she secured a 10th-place finish in a World Cup slalom event in Courchevel, France. More recently, she claimed gold alongside Breezy Johnson in a new team combined event.

The injuries from her crash inflicted significant damage to her oblique muscles, leading to severe internal issues. Shiffrin reflected on her recovery, saying, “The good news is that it doesn’t hurt anymore. Muscles heal and the pain fades away, unlike injuries to ligaments or knees that require longer recovery times.” However, she added that her overall body is still sore due to not having skied extensively since the accident.

Despite limited experience on the slopes in recent weeks, Shiffrin managed to achieve the third-fastest slalom run in the combined event, finishing just 0.39 seconds behind Wendy Holdener of Switzerland, who clocked in the fastest time and will be one of her competitors in the slalom race.

This success earned Shiffrin her 15th medal at the world championships, tying the historic record set by German skier Christl Cranz in the 1930s. It also marked her eighth gold medal in the world skiing championships, with half of those victories coming in slalom events.

Since her debut at the championships as a 17-year-old in 2013, Shiffrin has consistently medaled in all six slalom races she has entered. She won four consecutive gold medals from 2013 to 2016, followed by a bronze in 2021, and more recently, a silver in 2023.

Notably, Shiffrin triumphed in the slalom at the 2014 Sochi Olympics at just 18 years old, and she also earned a gold in giant slalom and a silver in combined at the Pyeongchang Games in 2018.

However, her journey since the recent accident has been accompanied by particular apprehensions, which she has openly described as reminiscent of post-traumatic stress. This concern has led her to forgo defending her giant slalom title on Thursday. “We’re working through the mental stuff,” she stated after her recent race in the combined event.

Shiffrin’s dominance in the world championships is unparalleled; she has earned at least one gold medal in each of the seven championships she has participated in. Her astonishing record includes 99 victories in the World Cup and 62 in slalom alone, setting the benchmark for both male and female competitors.

One of the few accolades still not in her possession is the title for the most overall World Cup championships. Her five big crystal globes place her second among women, following Annemarie Moser-Pröll’s six wins. Yet Marcel Hirscher, an Austrian skiing legend with the highest record of overall titles, maintains that Shiffrin’s legacy is untouchable.

“I’ve seen many names great in skiing history, from Tomba to Maier and Miller. But for me personally, knowing what Mikaela has accomplished, she is unquestionably the greatest of all time,” Hirscher stated. Moreover, at 29 years old, Shiffrin is not yet past her prime in the sport. Hirscher added, “If she chooses to, she can continue competing for another five or six years.”

With the absence of her long-time rival Petra Vlhova—who remains sidelined with a torn ACL—Shiffrin could face competition from a new generation of rising skiers. Among them is Zrinka Ljutic, who recently won three out of four World Cup slaloms and just turned 21. Camille Rast, who snatched her first slalom victory in Killington shortly after Shiffrin’s accident, has also been making waves by winning again in Flachau and now leads the slalom standings. Furthermore, 18-year-old Lara Colturi has also secured podium finishes in slalom this season.

Should Shiffrin clinch victory and achieve her fifth gold in slalom, she will tie yet another of Cranz’s records, noted for winning five gold medals in the combined events.