Shiffrin to skip alpine skiing races in Andorra due to knee injury

Alpine skiing superstar Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States will skip the giant slalom and slalom races in Soldeu, Andora at the weekend as she needs more time to recover from a knee injury caused by a crash.

"Although I’m feeling better each day and progressing well, I will not be skiing in Andorra this weekend. My knee cannot handle the load of racing just yet. I just need a bit more time to heal and re-condition," Shiffrin wrote on Instagram late on Wednesday.

She said stressed again that there was no major ligament damage "and the structure within the joint of my knee looks good."

"I took a ton of stress to my whole leg when I crashed and stretched a bunch of things that are continuing to cause pain, although that is improving every day! The fact that everything is structurally intact is super positive, but I still need to be patient.

"There’s a lot at stake this season, but that is also the case with any season - I am in this for the long haul and want to ensure my knee is strong and I am fully capable of powerful skiing when I return to the start gate," Shiffrin said.

The record alpine skiing winner and defender World Cup champion heavily crashed into safety nets after losing control during a downhill race in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy last month.

Shiffrin still tops the World Cup standings, but saw Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami shorten the gap to the top to 95 points.

In her Instagram post, Shiffrin also criticized the packed race calendar, noting the amount of injured athletes this season, including her boyfriend and Norwegian star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.

"Yes, this is ski racing, and yes - we choose to take the risk every time we push from the start gate. That said, the amount of injuries (especially among the top athletes) this year has been staggering," she said.

"A lot has been said about it, and I absolutely agree with those who have asked that we take a better look at the demands on top athletes…both from a race calendar perspective as well the schedule with evening programs.

"It’s pretty hard to put into words what the actual demands are like for athletes who are in the top 15 in multiple disciplines and consistently on the podium."

Shiffrin added that she really believes "that fatigue at this point in the season plays a role in the injuries we have seen lately, including my own."

It's been an injury-marred year for several of the top names on the World Cup circuit, among them Sofia Goggia, Petra Vlhova, Alexis Pinturault and Corinne Suter.

Kilde said recently that it's unclear when he will make a comeback and that he's not sure whether he will be able to compete at the highest level again after a serious crash in Wengen, Switzerland.

"Thank you all SO much for your support of both Kilde and me…I want you to know how much it means to us. You have all been so wonderful," Shiffrin said to her fans.