Mikaela Shiffrin, the American alpine skier and two-time Olympic gold medalist, will not rush her return to racing after suffering a knee injury in December 2022.

Shiffrin injured her right knee during a training run in Sweden and underwent surgery shortly after. She has since been recovering and rehabilitating the knee, but has not yet returned to full training.

“I’m feeling better every day, but I’m still not ready to race yet,” Shiffrin said in a statement. “My knee is still not 100% healed, and I don’t want to risk re-injuring it.”

Shiffrin’s decision to not rush her return is supported by her medical team. According to Dr. Mark Myerson, who performed Shiffrin’s surgery, the knee is healing well, but it is important for Shiffrin to take her time and not push herself too hard.

“Mikaela is a very determined athlete, but it is important for her to listen to her body and not try to come back too soon,” Myerson said. “We want to make sure that her knee is fully healed before she returns to racing.”

Shiffrin has not set a specific timetable for her return to racing. She said she will only return when she is confident that her knee is fully healed and she is ready to compete at a high level.

“I’m not going to put a timeline on my return,” Shiffrin said. “I want to come back when I’m ready, and I don’t want to rush it.”

Shiffrin is hopeful that she will be able to return to racing in March. The World Cup Finals are scheduled for March 16-19 in Soldeu, Andorra, and Shiffrin would like to compete in the event.

“I’m working hard to get back on the snow as soon as possible,” Shiffrin said. “I’m hoping to be back in time for the World Cup Finals, but we’ll see how it goes.”