After a serious fall of more than two years, Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde celebrated his comeback this winter. There wasn’t enough for more – he now canceled the Olympics.
Norway’s alpine star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has to bury his dream of a third Olympic medal at his fourth Olympic Games before the start of the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. The 33-year-old announced on Tuesday (February 3, 2026) that his season would end early and with it his exit from the Olympics.
Kilde: “The body needs more time than the head”
Kilde, who made his comeback this winter after a back injury sustained in January 2024, explained in an Instagram post: “I learned that coming back from complex injuries takes more time and is harder than I thought.” The 21-time World Cup winner and two-time World Cup medalist now has “I’ve decided that my season will end earlier than planned.” After the sudden return to full-speed training, his body showed him “that he needs more time than my head would like.”
Eleventh place as the best Season placement
The alpine star, who is with exceptional US rider Mikaela Shiffrin, fell on the approach to Wengen in January and hit the safety net. After the fall, he had to sit in a wheelchair for part of the time. This season he has not yet been able to build on previous successes; his best placement was eleventh place in the Beaver Creek downhill in December.
“Coming back was the victory”
“Coming back at all was the real victory”push Kilde. “Now I’m chasing the next big win.” But the Norwegian speed expert doesn’t want to end his career. “I’m still here to win races. And right now that means planning for the long term.”
