Shiffrin says in essay she feels 'like myself again' after recovering from ski racing crash, PTSD
FILE - United States' Mikaela Shiffrin reacts on the podium after winning the women's slalom at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S. World Cup alpine skier, is interviewed at a NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S. World Cup alpine skier, is interviewed at a NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
FILE - United States' Mikaela Shiffrin reacts on the podium after winning the women's slalom at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Mikaela Shiffrin, U.S. World Cup alpine skier, is interviewed at a NBCUniversal and U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee press preview event to promote the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Wednesday, May 21, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Two-time Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin finally feels 'like myself again' after recovering from a ski racing crash last season and lingering post-traumatic stress disorder.
Shiffrin described in an essay for The Players' Tribune released Friday the physical and mental hurdles she needed to clear after her serious spill during a giant slalom race in Killington, Vermont, on Nov. 30. In the crash, something punctured Shiffrin's side and caused severe damage to her oblique muscles.
Advertisement
'Everyone knows what it feels like to have a bad cough. But PTSD … it's not like that,' the 30-year-old from Edwards, Colorado, wrote. 'It comes in all shapes and sizes. Everyone experiences it in their own way, and no two cases are exactly alike.'
Shiffrin was leading after the first run of the GS that day in Killington. With the finish line in sight on her final run, she lost an edge and slid into a gate, flipping over her skis. The all-time winningest Alpine World Cup ski racer then slammed into another gate before coming to a stop in the protective fencing. To this day, she doesn't know what led to the puncture wound, only that it was "a millimeter from pretty catastrophic,' she told The Associated Press.
Shiffrin wrote in The Players' Tribune it was 'difficult to explain what the pain felt like. But the closest I can get would probably be, it was like … not only was there a knife stabbing me, but the knife was actually still inside of me.'
In late January, Shiffrin returned to the World Cup circuit. The giant slalom, though, remained a cause of anxiety and she skipped the event at world championships.
Advertisement
Ever so steadily, she's working on overcoming the mental trauma surrounding the GS as she gears up for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games. She won an Olympic gold medal in the discipline at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.
She's been working with a psychologist to conquer her mental obstacles.
'I can admit that there were some extremely low moments," recounted Shiffrin, who won her 100th career World Cup ski race in February. "Times when I started second-guessing myself, or was critical of myself because I felt like I was letting what happened mess with me so much. It was like: Come on, Mikaela, people have had way worse crashes than that, way worse injuries. Those people got through it. What is wrong with you?
"On particularly bad days, I'd question my motivation, or whether I still wanted to do this anymore. In my head, I'd be saying to myself: You know what, I kind of couldn't care less if I ever race again.'
Advertisement
She and the therapist began looking at her recovery through the prism of PTSD.
'With me, I also think it's possible that the crash I had at the beginning of 2024 in Cortina, and then Killington happening. … that those two crashes maybe built on one another,' Shiffrin said. 'I talked with my therapist about that, and she let me know that past trauma, or a history of traumatic events, can sometimes affect your reaction to new traumatic events.'
She lost her dad, Jeff, five years ago in a home accident. Her fiancé and fellow ski racer Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway is still recovering from a serious ski crash on Jan. 13, 2024.
'Maybe when I crashed and got that puncture wound, maybe that was kind of a perfect-storm situation for PTSD to take hold," Shiffrin wrote.
Advertisement
Shiffrin said one thing that's helped is 'getting back to a place of joy.' She closed her essay with: "All I can do is smile with appreciation. Because, finally .... I feel like myself again.'
___
AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Upturn
30 minutes ago
- Business Upturn
With ODI retirement, Glenn Maxwell signals complete exit from international cricket after 2026 T20 World Cup
By Aditya Bhagchandani Published on June 2, 2025, 11:57 IST Australia's flamboyant allrounder Glenn Maxwell has announced his retirement from One Day Internationals, and in doing so, has hinted at a complete international exit following the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup. Maxwell, who played 149 ODIs since his debut in 2012, confirmed that the 2027 ODI World Cup is not in his plans, leaving 2026 as the likely curtain call on his illustrious career. 'The 2027 World Cup feels out of reach,' Maxwell told The Final Word Podcast . 'I think it's time to let someone else make that spot their own. Hopefully they get enough time to do it.' The 36-year-old has been grappling with lingering physical challenges since his horrific leg injury in 2022, and recently also missed the IPL due to a finger fracture. His body, he admitted, has increasingly struggled to keep up with the demands of 50-over cricket. During the Champions Trophy earlier this year, Maxwell realised his limitations after a tough outing on wet and rock-hard outfields. 'It felt like I was just surviving out there, not performing. That's not the standard I want to set for the team,' he said. While he remains available for T20s and continues to feature in Australia's short-format plans, Maxwell's comments suggest he views the 2026 T20 World Cup—set to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka—as his final act on the international stage. With his ODI retirement, Maxwell joins a growing list of senior Australian players stepping away from the format, including Steve Smith, Marcus Stoinis, and David Warner. The reigning world champions now face a generational handover with several match-winners bowing out. Across 149 ODIs, Maxwell amassed 3,990 runs at a staggering strike rate of 126.70—the highest ever among batters with 2,000-plus runs. His tally includes four centuries and 23 fifties, highlighted by an unbeaten 201 against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup, regarded as one of the greatest knocks in ODI history. He also chipped in with 77 wickets and was renowned for his brilliance in the field. As one of Australia's most complete limited-overs cricketers, Maxwell's looming full retirement will mark the end of an era—one that lit up cricket with audacious stroke play, electric fielding, and an irreplaceable flair. Aditya Bhagchandani serves as the Senior Editor and Writer at Business Upturn, where he leads coverage across the Business, Finance, Corporate, and Stock Market segments. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to journalistic integrity, he not only contributes insightful articles but also oversees editorial direction for the reporting team.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Schoolchildren struggling with headaches and vomiting from oil and gas plant pollution
In Counselor, New Mexico, a routine drive home for Billton Werito and his son Amari is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by families living near natural gas operations. On a Tuesday in March, as Werito navigated the dirt road leading to their house, Amari was absent from school due to nausea and a headache. "It happens a lot," Amari explained, highlighting a recurring issue linked to the smell of "rotten egg with propane" emanating from nearby natural gas wells. This odour frequently affects Lybrook Elementary School, where Amari and around 70 other Navajo students attend classes. His younger brother also experiences similar symptoms, often leading to missed school days. Billton Werito expressed his concern, stating, "They just keep getting sick. I have to take them out of class because of the headaches. Especially the younger one, he's been throwing up and won't eat." These health issues are not only disrupting the children's education but also raising concerns about their overall well-being and academic progress. Lybrook sits in the heart of New Mexico's San Juan Basin, a major oil and gas deposit that, along with the Permian Basin in the state's southeast, is supplying natural gas that meets much of the nation's electricity demand. The gas pulled from tens of thousands of wells in New Mexico has reaped huge benefits for the entire country. Natural gas has become a go-to fuel for power plants from coast to coast, sometimes replacing dirtier coal-fired plants and, by extension, improving air quality. Locally, oil and gas companies employ thousands of workers, often in areas with few other opportunities, all while boosting the state's budget with billions in royalty payments. But those benefits may come at a cost for thousands of students in New Mexico whose schools sit near oil and gas pipelines, wellheads and flare stacks. An analysis of state and federal data found 694 oil and gas wells with new or active permits within a mile of a school in the state. This means that around 29,500 students in 74 schools and pre-schools potentially face exposure to noxious emissions, as extraction from the ground can release unhealthy fumes. At Lybrook, where Amari just finished sixth grade, fewer than 6 per cent of students are proficient at math, and only a fifth meet state standards for science and reading proficiency. Other factors could help explain students' poor achievement. Poverty rates are higher in some areas with high levels of gas development, and students at rural schools overall tend to face challenges that can adversely affect academic performance. AP's analysis found that two-thirds of the schools within a mile of an oil or gas well were low-income, and the population is around 24 per cent Native American and 45 per cent Hispanic. But research has found that student learning is directly harmed by air pollution from fossil fuels — even when socioeconomic factors are taken into account. And it's not just New Mexico where this is a risk. An AP analysis of data from the Global Oil and Gas Extraction Tracker found over 1,000 public schools across 13 states that are within five miles of a major oil or gas field. Major fields are collections of wells that produce the highest amount of energy in a state. 'This kind of air pollution has a real, measurable effect on students,' said Mike Gilraine, a professor of economics at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada, who studies connections between air quality and student performance. In 2024, Gilraine co-wrote a study showing that student test scores were closely associated with air contamination. Each measured increase in PM2.5, a type of pollution created from the burning of fossil fuels, was associated with a significant decline in student test scores, Gilraine found. Conversely, researchers have documented that reductions in air pollution have led to higher test scores and fewer absences. 'To me the surprise was certainly the magnitude of the effects' of air pollution on students, Gilraine said. 'It's hard to find a similar factor that would have such an impact on schools nationwide.' America's shift to natural gas has resulted in substantial increases in student achievement nationwide, Gilraine's research shows, as it has displaced dirtier coal and led to cleaner air on the whole. But there has been little data on air quality across New Mexico, even as it has become one of the most productive states in the nation for natural gas. State regulators have installed only 20 permanent air monitors, most in areas without oil or gas production. Independent researchers have extensively studied the air quality near schools in at least two locations in the state, however. One is Lybrook, which sits within a mile of 17 active oil and gas wells. In 2024, scientists affiliated with Princeton and Northern Arizona universities conducted an air-monitoring study at the school, finding that levels of pollutants — including benzene, a cancer-causing byproduct of natural gas production that is particularly harmful to children — were spiking during school hours, to nearly double the levels known to cause chronic or acute health effects. That research followed a 2021 health impact assessment that was done with support from several local nonprofits and foundations, which analyzed the effects of the area's oil and gas development on residents. The findings were startling: More than 90 per cent of people surveyed suffered from sinus problems. Nosebleeds, shortness of breath and nausea were widespread. The report attributed the symptoms to the high levels of pollutants that researchers found — including, near Lybrook, hydrogen sulfide, a compound that gives off the sulfur smell that Amari Werito associated with his headaches. Those studies helped confirm what many community members already knew, said Daniel Tso, a community leader who served on the committee that oversaw the 2021 health impact assessment. 'The children and the grandchildren need a safe homeland,' Tso said during an interview in March, standing outside a cluster of gas wells within a mile of Lybrook Elementary. 'You smell that?' he said, nodding towards a nearby wellhead, which smelled like propane. 'That's what the kids at the school are breathing in. I've had people visiting this area from New York. They spend five minutes here and say, 'Hey, I got a headache.' And the kids are what, six hours a day at the school breathing this?' Lybrook school officials did not respond to requests for comment. Researchers have identified similar air quality problems in New Mexico's southeast. In 2023, a team of scientists from a coalition of universities conducted a detailed, yearlong study of the air in Loving, a small town in the Permian Basin. Local air quality, researchers found, was worse than in downtown Los Angeles, and the tested air contained the fifth-highest level of measured ozone contamination in the U.S. The source of the ozone — a pollutant that's especially hazardous to children — was the area's network of gas wells and related infrastructure. Some of that infrastructure sits within a half-mile of a campus that houses Loving's elementary, middle and high schools. A small group of residents has spoken out about the area's air quality, saying it has caused respiratory problems and other health issues. But for most locals, any concerns about pollution are outweighed by the industry's economic benefits. Representatives of the oil and gas industry have claimed the air quality studies themselves are not trustworthy. 'There needs to be a robust study to actually answer these questions,' said Andrea Felix, vice president of regulatory affairs for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA). Felix said other sources of emissions, such as cars and trucks, are likely a larger source of air quality problems near wells. 'Companies follow the best available science' for well placement and emissions controls, Felix said, and also contribute huge amounts of money to the state's education budget through streams like royalties and direct expenditures. In the most recent fiscal year, oil and gas revenue supported $1.7 billion in K-12 spending in New Mexico, according to a NMOGA report. Officials with Loving Municipal Schools are also skeptical of the alarm over the wells. Loving Superintendent Lee White said the school district used funds from the oil and gas industry to pay for a new wing at the elementary school, a science lab for students, turf on the sports field and training and professional development for teachers. He said the industry's contributions to state coffers can't be ignored. 'Are we willing to give that up because people say our air is not clean?' he said during an interview. 'It's just as clean as anywhere else.' As White spoke, a drill rig worked a couple of miles east of Loving's elementary school while parents poured into the gymnasium to watch kindergartners collect their diplomas. White touted the district's success, saying the elementary school scores above state averages for reading, math and science proficiency, while Loving's high school students far outpace the state average for college and career readiness. But environmental groups, attorneys and residents continue to push for limits on drilling near schools. Those efforts saw a boost in 2023, when New Mexico State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard issued an executive order prohibiting new oil and gas leases on state-owned land within a mile of schools. Industry representatives decried the move, saying it added potentially insurmountable costs and barriers to drilling operators. However, AP's analysis found that relatively few wells would be impacted even if the rule applied to all of New Mexico; only around 1 per cent of oil and gas wells in the state are within a mile of a school. In the years since, residents of areas where exploration is heavy have lobbied for legislation prohibiting gas operations within a mile of schools, regardless of land status. That bill died in committee during the most recent session of the New Mexico legislature. Advocates have also sued the state over an alleged lack of pollution controls. That suit is currently pending in state court.
Fox Sports
an hour ago
- Fox Sports
Levu's 3-run HR helps UCLA beat UC Irvine 8-5 to sweep Los Angeles Regional
Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mulivai Levu hit a three-run home run, Dean West and Payton Brennan added two RBIs apiece and UCLA jumped to a big lead and then held on to beat UC Irvine 8-5 on Sunday night and win the Los Angeles Regional. UCLA (45-16) clinched its first trip to the super regionals since 2019. UC Irvine (43-17) beat Arizona State 11-6 in a loser-out game earlier Sunday. The Anteaters made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since they went to six straight tourneys from 2006-11. Roman Martin's RBI single off Finnegan Wall (0-1) in the first inning made it 1-0 and the Bruins led the rest of the way. Cashel Dugger hit a single in the second that drove in Brennan, who doubled to lead off the inning, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Roch Cholowsky to make it 3-0. Dugger and Phoenix Call drew back-to-back walks to lead off the fourth and West followed with a bunt single to load the bases. Dugger scored on another sacrifice fly by Cholowsky and, after Levu's homer, Brennan added a sacrifice fly to make it 8-0. James Castagnola and Alonso Reyes each had an RBI for the Anteaters in the fourth, Anthony Martinez hit a two-run double in the fifth and Reyes hit a lead-off home in the sixth to cap the scoring. Chris Grothues (3-1) came on in relief of starter Wylan Moss with one out and the bases loaded in the fourth. Grothues got Reyes to groundout, driving in Martinez, and struck out Blake Penso to limit the damage. Easton Hawk pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save of the season. ___ AP college sports: in this topic
