Mikaela Shiffrin, citing mental struggle, won't defend giant slalom title at worlds
Mikaela Shiffrin will not defend her title in the giant slalom at the alpine skiing world championships this week in the wake of her crash in late November, the American star announced Monday.
Shiffrin — a three-time Olympic medalist, seven-time world championship medalist and the winningest World Cup alpine skier of all time — said she was dealing with 'mental obstacles' after the fall in a World Cup giant slalom race in Killington, Vt., that punctured her abdomen and kept her out of competition for two months.
Advertisement
'The long-story-short is…I'm not there,' Shiffrin wrote Monday on Instagram. 'Right now, I feel quite far away. I'm currently working through some mental obstacles in order to return to the GS start with the intensity required for racing.'
Shiffrin still plans to race the slalom on Saturday in Saalbach, Austria. The giant slalom is scheduled for Thursday, but Shiffrin said she's battling a 'PTSD struggle' and needs more time to return to the faster discipline.
'Coming to terms with how much fear I have doing an event that I loved so dearly only 2 months ago has been soul-crushing,' she wrote.
Shiffrin also said she will pair with Breezy Johnson in the team combined event, which pairs downhill and slalom, on Tuesday. Johnson won gold in the downhill on Saturday.
'Breezy and I have been racing together since we were 11,' Shiffrin wrote. 'We've been roommates, competitors, friends. … it will be so so cool to bring this full circle.'
Shiffrin, 29, has a record 99 World Cup race wins and was trying for a milestone 100th victory on Nov. 30 when she fell on the second giant slalom run in Killington. She tumbled to the snow, flipped and slid into the safety netting. She frequently shared videos of her recovery, including one displaying the wound to her midsection.
She returned in late January for a slalom event in Courchevel, France, finishing 10th in her only tune-up race before the world championships.
Shiffrin, a three-time Olympian, was off to a flying start to the season before the injury, winning each of the first two World Cup slalom events. Slalom has been her strongest discipline overall, accounting for 62 of her World Cup wins and four of her seven world championship titles. She won Olympic gold in slalom in 2014.
She's had plenty of success in giant slalom too, with 22 World Cup wins, the 2023 world championship — the last edition of the biennial event — and Olympic gold in 2018.
Advertisement
'I really didn't anticipate experiencing so much of this kind of mental/PTSD struggle,' Shiffrin wrote. 'Like always, I tried diving into the challenge, hoping to get there by Worlds. I figured my passion and longing to compete would outweigh the mental barriers.
'Maybe that will be the case over time, but I'm not there yet.'
(Top photo of Mikaela Shiffrin at her return in Courchevel, France: Paul Brechu / Agence Zoom / Getty Images)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
22 minutes ago
- USA Today
Report: AC Milan eyes Tillman as Reijnders replacement
Report: AC Milan eyes Tillman as Reijnders replacement Show Caption Hide Caption Weston McKennie discusses the state of the USMNT ahead of World Cup Soccer standout Weston McKennie discusses the state of the USMNT and how Mauricio Pochettino is getting the squad ready ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Sports Seriously Malik Tillman is a wanted man. According to AC Milan is considering the PSV midfielder as a possible replacement for Tijjani Reijnders, who joined Manchester City this week. But Milan isn't alone in its interest, with the report stating Bayer Leverkusen and Roma are also eyeing a move for Tillman. Much like at Milan, Tillman would be a replacement for a high-profile departure at Leverkusen. Germany international Florian Wirtz is on the brink of joining Liverpool in a British-record deal worth an eye-popping €137.5 million. PSV's asking price for Tillman will be between €25m and €30m. The 23-year-old has emerged as one of the top players in the Netherlands since joining PSV ahead of last season, leading the Eindhoven side to back-to-back league titles. Tillman scored a career-best 16 goals in 2024-25 despite missing two months at midseason with an ankle injury. He'll now aim to impress with the U.S. men's national team at the Gold Cup, where he is expected to play a prominent role with Mauricio Pochettino's side. Should he move to Milan, Tillman would join his USMNT teammate Christian Pulisic with the team. Another USMNT player, Yunus Musah, is reportedly on the verge of leaving Milan to join Serie A champion Napoli.
San Francisco Chronicle
37 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Paris Saint-Germain thumps Atlético Madrid 4-0 in an impressive Club World Cup opener
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha scored in the first half, and Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain opened Club World Cup play with a 4-0 victory over Atlético Madrid on Sunday. PSG largely dominated Atlético at the Rose Bowl in its first match since trouncing Inter Milan 5-0 to win its first Champions League title on May 31. Senny Mayulu and Lee Kang-in scored against 10-man Atlético in the second half of the European powers' meeting in front of 80,619 fans at the site of the 1994 World Cup final for one of the highest-profile matches in the group stage of the first 32-team edition of the Club World Cup. Atlético's Clément Lenglet was sent off in the 78th minute with his second yellow card on a frustrating day that left Diego Simeone visibly furious at both the referees and his players' mistakes. Ousmane Dembélé wasn't in uniform for PSG after reportedly injuring a quadriceps while playing for France on June 6. Gonçalo Ramos replaced Dembélé in Luis Enrique's only change to the starting lineup from the Champions League final. Enrique wore shorts and a training shirt on the sideline while coaching PSG in 88-degree midday California heat ((31 Celsius). PSG controlled possession early, and Ruiz capitalized atop the penalty area in the 19th minute. The Spanish midfielder long coveted by Atlético beat Jan Oblak with a clever strike into the far corner. Vitinha followed with a goal in injury time off Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's second assist of the first half. Julián Alvarez appeared to answer for Atlético in the second half, but the goal was waved off after VAR determined Koke had fouled Désiré Doué in the buildup. Alexander Sørloth horrifically missed an open net in the 82nd minute for Atlético. Mayulu iced PSG's victory five minutes later, and Lee converted a penalty on the final kick of the match. Key moment Atlético got a golden chance to tie it in first-half injury time, but Gianluigi Donnarumma swallowed up Thomas Griezmann's hard shot in the box. Moments later, Vitinha slipped through the Atlético defense and scored on the break. Takeaways PSG looked remarkably sharp late in its taxing season, showing no sign of treating this tournament as an anticlimax. The champs are in good shape to advance from group play after winning their toughest group match on paper. ___
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Why Christian Pulisic and other USMNT stars aren't playing in Gold Cup
Why Christian Pulisic and other USMNT stars aren't playing in Gold Cup The U.S. men's national team enters the CONCACAF Gold Cup coming off a four-game losing streak under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino. And if the USMNT is going to right the ship this tournament, it's going to do so without its best players. In recent years, the Gold Cup has been relegated to a developmental tournament with U.S. Soccer opting to instead send its best team to the CONCACAF Nations League or last year's Copa America. But this summer's Gold Cup could have been different with it being the final competitive tournament for the USMNT before next year's World Cup. Yet, when the rosters were announced, star players like Christian Pulisic, Antonee Robinson, Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie were not included ... for different reasons. Pulisic's absence was especially controversial among the USMNT fan base as the 26-year-old was coming off his best season at AC Milan. Pulisic, though, asked to not be a part of the Gold Cup roster in order to give himself an offseason to recover. Pulisic told CBS Sports that he was willing to play in the pre-Gold Cup friendlies, but Pochettino declined that request. The USMNT coach wanted to use the same roster for both the friendlies and Gold Cup, so Pulisic opted to stay home. Musah and Robinson had similar reasons to Pulisic. They wanted to use the summer as an opportunity to recover ahead of the club season and World Cup. When it comes to McKennie, Gio Reyna and Tim Weah, they were not available as their club teams are competing in the FIFA Club World Cup. USMNT starters Folarin Balogun and Sergiño Dest were included on the initial camp roster but withdrew ahead of the friendlies. Both players were coming off lengthy injuries and were still working back to full strength.
