Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde will not participate in the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics due to lingering effects from a back injury sustained in a crash two years ago.
‘With the sudden jump in full-speed training, my body has needed more time than my mind would like,’ the 33-year-old said in a Tuesday, Feb. 3 Instagram post. ‘That’s led to the back issues that kept me out of Kitzbuehel and made racing in Crans-Montana anything but easy.
‘Because of that, I’ve decided to end my season earlier than planned.’
Kilde won a silver medal in Apline combined and bronze in the super-G at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, but sustained serious injuries to his shoulder and leg after he crashed during a downhill race in Switzerland in January 2024.
Kilde, who is engaged to American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin, missed all of last season, but returned to the World Cup circuit in November at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
His best finish this season was 11th in the downhill at Beaver Creek.
‘It is extremely hard to come to this decision after all the work I have put in together with my family, medical team, the national team and many others,’ he added. ‘At the same time, I am proud that I managed to fight my way back and compete at the World Cup again.’