Mikaela Shiffrin is returning to the World Cup circuit today. What to know.

Mikaela Shiffrin's return to the World Cup circuit is off to a strong start.

Just under nine weeks after a crash in Killington, Vermont, left her with a deep gash in her oblique muscles, the all-time leader in World Cup victories was fifth after the first run of a slalom race Thursday in Courchevel, France. Shiffrin was 0.87 seconds behind Croatia's Zrinka Ljutic, but just 0.19 seconds out of third place.

The second run is later Thursday afternoon.

"It's just nice to be racing," Shiffrin said before the first run.

Shiffrin's next World Cup win will be her 100th, a mark that is unlikely to be matched. But when Shiffrin announced her return last week, she cautioned that she still isn't 100% and will still be dealing with "remnants" of the injury for the rest of the season.

"But it’s not painful. My muscles are working again. I’ve been able to get my strength built back up. I’m in a really good place physically," Shiffrin said in an interview with the TODAY show. " ... (But) I haven't really skied (since Killington). I'm coming back into competitions with the best athletes in the world, with the World Cup athletes, and trying to hold my own against that. They’ve been skiing and are in totally top form, and I’m coming back from ripping my oblique in half."

The rust was evident in the first run, as Shiffrin got off her line several times and had to fight to control her body position. But there were glimpses of the world's best slalom skier, as she posted the third-fastest time in the third section of the course. Her second run is sure to be cleaner.

Here's what to know about Shiffrin's return:

When is Mikaela Shiffrin racing again?

Shiffrin returned to the World Cup circuit on Thursday in a slalom race under the lights in Courchevel, France.

There are two runs in slalom races, and the second begins at 2 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. in France). The start order for the second run is a reverse of the results from the first, so Shiffrin will go fifth-to-last. To make sure you see her, have the stream up by 2:30 p.m.

How can I watch?

The race will be streamed on skiandsnowboard.live in the United States.

How has Shiffrin done this season?

Great! Until she was impaled.

Shiffrin won the first two slalom races of the season. The second win was her 99th World Cup victory, extending her record, and put her in contention for both the overall title and the slalom crown.

But missing almost nine weeks has dropped her way back in the standings. She is now 18th in the overall and ranks ninth in the slalom standings.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mikaela Shiffrin is back! How to watch her World Cup return