Shiffrin, healed from puncture, to race next week

Mikaela Shiffrin has recovered from her ski crash two months ago and told The Associated Press that she plans to return to racing next Thursday at a World Cup slalom in Courchevel, France.

Shiffrin has been out since her serious fall in a giant slalom race Nov. 30 in Killington, Vermont, where something punctured her in the side and caused severe trauma to her oblique muscles.

The 29-year-old Shiffrin remains focused only on progression, not so much her pursuit of World Cup win No. 100. Her plan includes racing the slalom and giant slalom at the world championships next month in Austria.

Shiffrin had shared a video of her skiing on Instagram about two weeks ago.

This is the second consecutive season that Shiffrin has had a major crash, having hit the safety netting at high speed during a downhill in Cortina a year ago, spraining the MCL and tibiofibular ligaments in her left knee. She returned after 1½ months out and competed at two stops at the end of last season.