Skistar shares the gut-wrenching account of a severe slip-up.
Norwegian ski ace Aleksander Aamodt Kilde took a hard tumble at the start of the year during the Lauberhorn downhill in Wengen, necessitating several medical procedures. At a crucial juncture, Kilde feared he might have lost his leg, as his fiancée and renowned skier Mikaela Shiffrin has now shared.
In an interview with the Swiss "SonntagsZeitung", Shiffrin recounted the tense hours following an operation, saying, "There were ten surgeons there, they gave it their best to mend him. It was a chaotic scene, and I knew: This is a life-threatening moment."
"He was utterly petrified"
As per Shiffrin, the situation became even more alarming later on. Kilde was in pain, the medication wasn't providing relief, and worst of all, his legs were losing sensation. "That's why he was utterly petrified. I'd never seen him like that. He was scared to look down because he wasn't sure if his leg was still there," Shiffrin confessed.
At the moment, Kilde is on the path to recovery, but a return isn't imminent. However, the 32-year-old expressed optimism in a podcast, "Mensch, Büchel": "I'm convinced I'll return."
Kilde endured such severe injuries to his shoulder and right leg in the January crash that he initially had to spend 45 days in a wheelchair. The ski wound up damaging a nerve, leading to the paralysis of muscles responsible for toe lifting. "It was quite unusual for me to see him in that condition - I honestly didn't know what to do," Shiffrin reminisced about the trying period.
Despite the challenges, Kilde and Shiffrin's love story persisted. In early April, they announced their engagement. However, a wedding in the near future seems unlikely. "I suppose it'll happen when we've settled down. That might take a few more years," Kilde said.
Despite the setbacks in his recovery, Kilde remains hopeful about returning to his beloved sport of Sports. His fiancée Mikaela Shiffrin recalls a time when Kilde was extremely worried about the sensory loss in his legs, causing him to be "utterly petrified" and hesitant to look at his legs.
