Mikaela Shiffrin's back injury may have healed but she continues to compete with a broken heart as she returns to the World Cup circuit for two slalom races this weekend in Levi, Finland, where more records and reindeer will be on offer.

Coming off a win last month in the World Cup season-opening giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, the American all-rounder has been nursing a nagging back injury that limited her training at the U.S. ski team base in Colorado.

But while her back is fine, the 26-year-old Olympic champion said during a conference call on Wednesday that her heart is still on the mend following the sudden death of her father in a home accident in February 2020.