**Mikaela Shiffrin's Quest for 100th World Cup Victory Delayed by Crash in Killington**

Mikaela Shiffrin’s pursuit for her 100th World Cup victory was abruptly halted when she crashed during the second run of a giant slalom in Killington, Vermont on Saturday. This incident, during her first opportunity to achieve the milestone, resulted in Shiffrin being taken off the hill on a sled for evaluation. Updates on her condition are yet to come, but U.S. Ski and Snowboard noted that she inquired about her split times following the crash.

Uncertainty now surrounds Shiffrin's participation in Sunday's slalom race, an event she has dominantly won six times at Killington. The significance of her potential absence is heightened by her early season success, having already clinched victories in the first two slalom races of this season.

During Saturday’s race, Shiffrin held a comfortable lead after an impressive first run. However, with the course becoming increasingly shadowed and icy, she lost balance and her edge while navigating a gate. This resulted in a violent tumble into the safety netting, leading to a tense and silent moment among the usually energetic Killington crowd. It marked only the eighth time in her career that Shiffrin failed to finish a giant slalom event, ending a day that had begun with high expectations.

Killington holds special significance for Shiffrin, being just two hours from Burke Mountain Academy, where she trained as a teenager. Despite never having won a giant slalom race at Killington, her strong start in the first run appeared promising. She navigated the course with precision, posting the second-fastest times on the initial sections and excelling on the third.

Following her initial run, Shiffrin commented on the conditions, highlighting the tricky icy terrain and occasional stones on the course that challenged many competitors. Nonetheless, her first run time of 55.78 seconds left her more than three-tenths of a second ahead of Sara Hector of Sweden, setting the stage for a potentially triumphant finish. Unfortunately, the anticipated victory was not to be.

As fans await further information on Shiffrin's condition, the skiing community reflects on the abrupt and dramatic turn of events that unfolded on the slopes of Killington.