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Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Mikaela Shiffrin says in essay she feels ‘like myself again' after recovering from ski racing crash, PTSD
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. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 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.' Advertisement 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 '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.' 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. Advertisement '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. 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.'
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Shiffrin says in essay she feels 'like myself again' after recovering from ski racing crash, PTSD
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. '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. 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.' 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. 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.' ___
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Shiffrin says in essay she feels ‘like myself again' after recovering from ski racing crash, PTSD
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. '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. 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.' 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. 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:
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Health
- Associated Press
Shiffrin says in essay she feels 'like myself again' after recovering from ski racing crash, PTSD
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. '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. 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.' 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. 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:
Forbes
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Mikaela Shiffrin's ‘Special' 101st World Cup Win Comes On U.S. Soil
Standing at the base of Bald Mountain's lower Greyhawk run in Sun Valley on Thursday, a group of young girls dressed as Dalmation puppies clutched signs and cheered. There are plenty of bold fashion choices to be found in the crowd at an Alpine World Cup finals, and this year in Sun Valley was no different. But why Dalmations? The girls' clever costume was a nod to the major moment they were hoping to witness: Mikaela Shiffrin's 101st World Cup win. Thursday's World Cup finals slalom race was Shiffrin's first on home snow since capturing her historic 100th win in Sestriere, Italy, in February. It also marked her first U.S. race since her November giant slalom crash in Killington, where she suffered a puncture wound in her abdomen that required surgery and sidelined her for two months. Though a ninth (and third consecutive) slalom Crystal Globe wasn't on the line for Shiffrin Thursday, as she mathematically could not catch Croatia's Zrinka Ljutić in the standings, a victory was. Shiffrin landed on the top of the podium in three of her five Slalom races this season; if she is skiing her best, she's the favorite to win. Shiffrin and her team had identified a crucial number of World Cup points the 30-year-old would ideally earn in Sun Valley, which will help her starting position for next season. Securing those points would be the 'goal on paper,' Shiffrin told me before her race. 'But then my biggest goal, the emotional side of it, is I just want to be able to ski some of my best turns on home soil,' Shiffrin added. 'I know where I stand; I know that my very best skiing in slalom is fast, but anything aside from my best, then it's anybody's race.' Having drawn No. 2 at the bib draw on Wednesday evening at Sun Valley Lodge—an event in and of itself, ending in a fireworks display—Shiffrin, going second among 24 skiers, had the opportunity to set the tone early in the race. And she did, with a time (52.05) that ultimately none of the women was able to best. That meant Shiffrin would be the last in the start order for the second runs—and would thus know exactly what she had to do to walk away with a win. And what she did was win (1:45:92) by more than a full second (1.13), with Germany's Lena Duerr and Slovenia's Andreja Slokar rounding out the podium. Ljutić, who finished 10th in Thursday's race but did, in fact, capture the slalom Crystal Globe for the season, called Shiffrin's skiing 'out of this world.' Thursday's win didn't come easy; the race, in low light and soft, choppy snow conditions, was 'awe-inspiring' and 'hard fought,' Shiffrin said. And that comes after a season marked by adversity, one in which Shiffrin sometimes wondered if she should even be in the sport. She was diagnosed with PTSD following her crash, which caused her to miss four of 10 slalom events this season. But ending the season with a slalom win (her fourth in six starts) gives her the energy she needs to prepare for next season. There's just something different about winning on home soil. Shiffrin, who grew up in Colorado and describes attending World Cup races at Beaver Creek as a child among her 'formative memories,' treasured the opportunity to end her season in Sun Valley, which is hosting its first World Cup finals since 1977. (The last U.S. World Cup finals was in Aspen in 2017.) Sometimes, Shiffrin said, by the end of a grueling race season spanning the globe, skiers are 'just trying to get through' a World Cup finals. But this one felt different; charged. 'I have felt so much support from U.S. fans, and being able to return back home for the final races of the season is super exciting,' Shiffrin said. 'It's just cool to be here and share this atmosphere with the U.S. fans and so many young racers in this area who are so excited to be here.' Shiffrin's 100th win may not have come on home soil, but earning her 101st at home, at the World Cup finals no less, is 'pretty special,' she said. The cheers from the crowd were deafening, and she thought of the kids (she did, by the way, see the Dalmation puppies, on the Jumbotron on her first run) whose ski racing careers may have been sparked Thursday, just as her own was, watching World Cup races in Beaver Creek growing up. 'It's like 100 was this reset moment, and 101 is like a restart almost, and that's the way I'm trying to see it,' Shiffrin said. 'There's plenty of future left in my career hopefully, and I try to take it with the idea that it's not the end, it's not the beginning; it's somewhere in the beautiful middle.'
