Mikaela Shiffrin celebrates Aleksander Aamodt Kilde's 'greatest victory' on injury return as Marco Odermatt begins super-G globe defence in style
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By Ben Grounds
Updated 27/11/2025 at 22:49 GMT
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Marco Odermatt launched the World Cup super-G campaign with a commanding win at Copper Mountain, yet it was Aleksander Aamodt Kilde who delivered the most powerful moment of the day, moving fiance Mikaela Shiffrin to tears as he returned to racing after nearly two years out. The 33-year-old crossed the line in a share of 24th place and was greeted with a long, emotional embrace from Shiffrin.
Shiffrin emotional as fiance Kilde makes long-awaited World Cup comeback
Video credit: TNT Sports
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde's long-awaited return to competitive skiing provided the defining moment of the super-G season opener at Copper Mountain, overshadowing even Marco Odermatt’s latest statement win.
Taking to the start gate for the first time in nearly 700 days, the Norwegian star completed an emotional comeback after the horrific downhill crash that ended his 2024 season in Wengen.
The 33-year-old, cheered on by fiance Mikaela Shiffrin, raced courageously to finish just 1.25 seconds behind the eventual winner - a result few had dared to imagine from the 2020 overall champion and winner of 21 World Cup races.
Reflecting on the run, Kilde said it felt "nerve-wracking," adding: "It was amazing being out and actually having a good feeling on my skis and knowing that I can push even more.
"It's just one or two turns I could have done a little better but in my plan I did really well.
"Also having Mikaela in the finish area was a dream come true."
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'A supreme performance from the GOAT!' - Shiffrin does it again in Gurgl
Video credit: TNT Sports
Shiffrin, visibly moved, emphasised the magnitude of Kilde’s achievement.
Calling it his "greatest victory," she said: "It was a nerve-wracking day and this has taken so much work from him and his team and everybody around him. To see him in the start gate was the greatest victory for all of us.
"It's just really hard to explain how much that takes."
Her words framed the day not merely as the opening of a new World Cup speed season, but as the culmination of nearly 20 months of gruelling rehab, illness, and uncertainty for one of the sport's most-admired athletes.
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Only after the emotional resonance of Kilde's comeback settled did the sporting narrative return to Odermatt's own milestone.
The Swiss superstar began his pursuit of a fourth consecutive super-G crystal globe with a masterful run, clocking 1:07.70 to edge Vincent Kriechmayr by eight hundredths of a second.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Odermatt acknowledged both the pressure and the ambition driving him this season.
"It's tough to say, obviously I trained a lot during the summer," the 28-year-old said when asked about whether he had made any alterations to his approach ahead of the new season.
"You're never done, you always have to continue with the hard work. It's just great that I can start the season like this."
Asked whether his crystal globe boosted his confidence coming into this campaign, Odermatt added: "A lot, but also pressure. I mean, when you've won the globe you want to win the globe again.
"In the end you have to take it race by race, the season is long and there are so many good athletes.
"Everyone wants to win so you have to attack every race again from the beginning."
Austria's depth was again on display with Kriechmayr second, Raphael Haaser third, and Stefan Babinsky fourth, while the Swiss team outside of Odermatt endured a more uneven day.
Yet all eyes remained fixed on the skier who crossed the line in 24th place - a position that mattered far less than the fact that Kilde made it there at all.
Watch the 2026 Winter Olympics on TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland - full discovery+ coverage details will be confirmed in due course.
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