‘I came back stronger': freestyle skier Kirsty Muir on injury and Olympic medal ambitions

The Guardian

4 days ago

'I feel OK,' says Kirsty Muir. 'It's slightly overwhelming but somehow strangely feels normal.' The air at the Team GB media summit in Edinburgh crackles with a familiar Olympic buzz. Athletes from across winter disciplines navigate the bustling hall as they complete their press duties to mark six months until the 2026 Games in Italy. Some pass the time with a game of rock, paper, scissors, a fleeting moment of levity amid the interviews and photoshoots. For many seasoned competitors this media cycle is a well-worn path, but for the 21-year-old Scottish freestyle skier the experience is distinctly new.
Despite her debut four years ago at Beijing 2022 as a 17-year-old, the pandemic cast a shadow over the experience, transforming it into something far removed from the traditional Olympic spectacle. 'I feel like this is my first proper Games because last time it was during Covid. All my interviews were on Zoom so I've not actually done this.
'There's so much that is different this time. Last time I was 17, I was still in school, so that was taking up a big part of my focus. I've finished school now, have had a few more results under my belt and been progressing in my skiing. I feel like I will get the whole Olympic experience this time.
'I was also very shy then too and I think since then I've come out of my shell. I feel I belong more in the sport, have a place in it. I feel it's a lot cooler than when I was 17.'
Muir's journey to elite freestyle skiing began early with her time in Beijing coming as a teenager but the pervasive Covid restrictions created an environment that felt isolating. The unconventional start, she says, may have reduced the external pressure as she received much fanfare for finishing eighth in the slopestyle final.
'You always hear stories about the Games and I was there with other athletes that had been to them before so they were always telling me about what was missing,' Muir says. 'You could kind of tell it was different. We were all in one village but there wasn't as much mingling as usual. Each morning you got up and you straight away got a swab up your nose before you even went to breakfast.
'But the positive was that there wasn't much pressure. Or as much pressure as I think there will be this time around. I just did the best I could and ended with a pretty good finish for a debutant.'
Wanting to continue her upwards trajectory, Muir continued to compete but tore an anterior cruciate ligament, sustaining meniscus damage during a Big Air final in December 2023 where, remarkably, she still managed to secure a bronze medal despite feeling a 'niggle' in her knee. The injury necessitated two surgeries: knee surgery in January and shoulder surgery in March, leading to a full year of intensive rehabilitation.
'I didn't know that I'd done the injury until I had the MRI. I could have had that injury for a long time. Initially I just completely broke down into tears. It's a big injury. It's quite a common one in our sport but it's one of the longest injuries you can face and I was kind of shocked.'
Not only was the timing of the setback frustrating, occurring when she was demonstrating peak performance and consistency, but the fact that her body was still changing and growing made it all the more frustrating for the skier. At moments she felt as if she had to relearn the most basic of movements.
'I was really trying to celebrate the little goals. When you're on crutches for a few weeks, getting back to normal walking, that's a success. When you're getting in the gym and you're back to doing squats – even if it's body weight – that's a success. I was trying to have fun with it in that way. It's a difficult time and there's no way around that but I was just trying to be positive.
'During my injury I kind of set a goal to grow myself personally as well as get back to the sport and I did that. I learned a bit more about what I need and what my body needs as it continues to mature. Everyone's different. Some people can have months of pressure. Some people need a break and it's just about learning those sorts of behaviours. You have to listen to your body. My body did a lot of growing up in the last few years.'
Most athletes would expect a grace period after a year out of action but Muir's return to the World Cup circuit in January 2025 was immediately successful, as she qualified for finals in her first competition back. Two months later, she secured her first World Cup gold medal in slopestyle in Tignes, her first top-three finish since 2023.
'No matter what injury you have you can sometimes think, 'Will I come back strong? Will I come back the same?' Especially for someone that overthinks a bit like I sometimes do, you always just have those doubts.
'So winning gold did eliminate those doubts because I felt as if I didn't just come back, I came back stronger. That was my goal. I knew for sure that I could trust myself and trust my knee. I had the muscle memory, I worked hard and I just had to trust myself in that moment. I am still working on finding that peace and trusting myself every time I am at the top of the slope.'
But now the big test is approaching. Can she find the same Zen at Milano Cortina 2026? 'Listen, the goal is obviously to win a medal. That's why I am going. I just really want to take it all in. This time, it'll be the real thing. So I really want to just push myself, take everything I can from the experience and have a good time.'