It’s no exaggeration to say that Norwegian Alpine skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has faced life-threatening challenges over the past year and a half. The athlete, who is well-known in the world of skiing, has been sidelined due to a serious shoulder injury that he sustained during a crash at the Wengen downhill event on January 13, 2024. This injury not only halted his career but also led to a series of unfortunate complications, including a severe infection.

Recently, Kilde opened up about a harrowing episode in his recovery that could have had catastrophic repercussions. During a training camp in the United States, he experienced persistent pain in his shoulder, which he initially believed was a normal part of his recovery process. However, after consulting with a doctor to address the discomfort, he was confronted with a terrifying diagnosis: he had developed sepsis, a life-threatening condition caused by the body's extreme response to an infection.

“It was a matter of life and death regarding sepsis,” Kilde recounted in an interview with Norway's VG last week. He was shocked to discover that the infection in his shoulder had not only persisted but had also started to spread to the surrounding ligaments and bones, eventually entering his bloodstream. This unsettling news prompted an urgent visit to medical professionals in Colorado just a day before he planned to fly back to Europe.

Upon examining him, the doctors in the U.S. expressed serious concern for his health. “We won’t let you leave; you’re going under the knife, and it’s important that we do something now,” Kilde recalled them saying. He acknowledged how fortunate he was for seeking medical help when he did, realizing that procrastination could have resulted in dire consequences.

However, even after the initial surgery, Kilde's troubles were not over. Complications arose that necessitated further surgical intervention in Austria in August 2024 to properly address and clean the infection. As if that weren’t enough, he had to return to the surgeon again in February of this year, highlighting the ongoing nature of his recovery journey.