Kilde on the mend after surgery to repair shoulder, hopes to return before 2026 Olympics

SUN VALLEY, Idaho (AP) — While his downhill rivals finish the World Cup season, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is back in Innsbruck, Austria, with his left arm in a sling and limited to 30-minute walks.

It’s all the fresh air the injured Norwegian ski racing standout can manage as he finishes up a round of antibiotics to fight off potential infection in his shoulder. It’s pretty much all the walking his left hamstring can endure after doctors took a piece of the muscle so they could transplant it into his shoulder.

Kilde, who hasn’t competed since his ski crash on Jan. 13, 2024, is hoping to be back in the starting gate next season. Maybe not at the beginning but optimistically leading into the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

It’s just weeks like this that are challenging for him — his friends, competitors and his fiancee, Mikaela Shiffrin, have assembled in Sun Valley for the World Cup finals while he’s at home, recovering.

“It’s something that I really miss right now, being so far away,” Kilde said in a recent video interview with The Associated Press. “I’ve been around (the World Cup races) a little bit this winter, but it’s been so different because when you feel like your body is not capable of doing what you’re used to doing, it seems so far away.”

Kilde’s crash

Fourteen months ago, the 32-year-old Kilde crashed near the finish line in a downhill race in Wengen, Switzerland. He had surgery for a severe cut and nerve damage in his right calf, along with two torn ligaments in his shoulder.

Back on skis over the summer, Kilde suffered a setback because of an infection in his shoulder and announced that he wouldn’t compete this season. He said at the time he needed another surgery to attach two of the muscles in his shoulder.

About four weeks ago, a team of three doctors performed what Kilde described as a “very, very complicated surgery.”

To fix his shoulder, Kilde said, doctors needed a strand of his hamstring muscle. So he built up the hamstring in the gym, just to make sure it was nice and strong for his shoulder. The surgeons also took a graft from his lower trapezius muscle and attached them all together.

He’s been in a sling since the surgery with about two more weeks to go. He’s also on antibiotics — four pills, two times a day — to prevent infection.

“At the moment, I actually don’t know how it works,” Kilde said of his shoulder. “The only thing I know is that it’s not painful. It’s smaller than (the other shoulder) but it’s at least in the right position. So that’s a great feeling.

“I have a good gut feel of this being the right thing now. Just crossing the fingers for not any infection or anything to come back. But it looks promising.”

His mom has been in town to help with meals and keep him company.

“I’m good,” said Kilde, who moved to Innsbruck about five years ago. “With the hamstring, it’s very hard to walk uphill. But I’ve been walking outside and getting some fresh air. The sun is shining these days, and it’s kind of springtime here, so it’s nice to be able to be outside and enjoy the sun as much as I can.”

Shiffrin’s support

Shiffrin, of course, has been a huge emotional help — and he to her. Shiffrin was sidelined earlier this season after suffering a puncture wound when she fell in a giant slalom race.

They’ve leaned on each other for support.

“A lot of challenges, a lot of pain for both of us,” Kilde said. “It’s nice to just have someone to talk to that really knows exactly what to talk about.”

Set a wedding date yet?

“We haven’t,” Kilde said with a laugh. “We will find a date.”

Charismatic Kilde

Kilde is a popular figure on the circuit, the charismatic ski racer who is always among the favorites in a downhill or super-G race. He has had many competitors, friends and fans reach out to him to offer support.

It’s meant the world.

“Every time I meet people and they say, ‘You need to fight back, because we need you back in the sport,’ it’s just amazing,” said Kilde, a two-time Olympic medalist and 2019-20 overall World Cup champion.

Back to school

While he recovered from his injuries, Kilde enrolled in a real estate program through the London School of Economics. He recently has paused his learning, though, to give returning to health his full attention.

“I’ve used the time wisely, but I’ve also tried to just stay calm and easy and not stress about the situation I’m in,” Kilde said. “It’s been four weeks since my last operation, and honestly, it feels like yesterday.”

Olympic goal

He’s setting his sights on being ready for next season, but his ultimate goal is to be back for the Olympics. At the 2022 Beijing Games, Kilde won silver in the Alpine combined and bronze in the super-G.

“It’s very good motivation for me to say to myself, ‘This is what I’m going to be 100% ready for,’” Kilde said. “But honestly, I’m going to continue skiing for some more years. So just to be back is my biggest goal — and to be able to be competitive again.”

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing