Latest news with #FISWorldCup
New York Times
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
Mikaela Shiffrin says she questioned returning to skiing amid PTSD after crash
When Mikaela Shiffrin stood atop Killington Mountain for her second run of the giant slalom in the FIS World Cup race in November, she was considered the greatest alpine skier of all time. By the time she got to the bottom, being pulled in the back of a medical sled and rushed to the hospital after a devastating crash, her career was drastically altered, both physically and mentally. Advertisement In a first-person essay for 'The Players' Tribune' published Friday, Shiffrin shared that the crash, which punctured her side and was a millimeter away from puncturing her colon, left her with psychological hurdles akin to PTSD when she began to mount her comeback. 'On particularly bad days, I'd question my motivation, or whether I still wanted to do this anymore,' she wrote. 'In my head, I'd be saying to myself: You know what, I kind of couldn't care less if I ever race again.' As she initially attempted to return, the 30-year-old winner of three Olympic medals said she felt physically fine and wasn't afraid to get back on skis. But it was mid-run when her mind began to betray her body. 'I'd be trying really hard to be precise with my training runs, and my body just wouldn't do what I wanted it to do,' she said. 'Then, at some points, I'd get these random flashes in my mind. These really grim images. I'd be anticipating crashes. I'd see them in my head. See myself falling and going down. The pain would flash through my body, only this time, it was my neck too. My leg. My colon.' Immediately after November's crash, Shiffrin wrote that she was hit with the most pain she had ever felt, and it was as if someone was stabbing her with a knife and left the blade in her abdomen. When that pain later subsided at the hospital, she said she planned on treating her recovery the same way she had with any other injury. She underwent surgery 12 days after the crash and formulated plans to compete again by the end of winter. But she said amid her focus on the smaller details of the comeback, such as getting in shape and sharpening her technique, she didn't think much about the mental element of her return. On her first runs back on snow, she said skiing felt like running in molasses, or like being chased in a bad dream. Advertisement 'So I just kept sliding turns. Over and over again. And then, the weirdest thing was, a bunch of times I would just stop, right in the middle of a training course,' she wrote. 'Like I'm going through the course, doing my thing, and then, all of a sudden, I'd stop. I didn't have any intention of stopping. I wasn't planning to stop. But I'd stop. I'd slow myself down, and then just … stop. 'It was almost as though I was no longer in control of my body.' Sessions with her therapist have led Shiffrin to believe a previous crash she suffered, at the beginning of 2024 in Cortina, may have acted as a past trauma event which — coupled with the Killington crash — can affect the way she reacts to new traumatic events. After weeks and weeks of working through the processing with her counselor and tracking her symptoms against the PTSD diagnosis chart, Shiffrin said she saw improvements, not only on paper but in the way she felt. Particularly back on the snow. After finishing tenth in her comeback race in January, she pulled out of the World Championships in Austria in February when she and her team realized she wasn't in the right state of mind to race. Then, just a few weeks later, she was back in the victory circle in Italy, celebrating her 100th career World Cup victory. 'To be at the top, at the start gate, feeling all the feelings — nervous, excited, adrenaline, and ready … ready to take it on. And to just have that experience again, where I was racing like before and skiing fast?' Shiffrin wrote, describing her feelings leading up to the comeback win. 'It was like I could breathe again.'
The Age
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Graham suffers heavy crash
Australian freestyle skier Matt Graham falls and slams into a mogul at an FIS World Cup event in Livigno, Italy.
Sydney Morning Herald
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Graham suffers heavy crash
Australian freestyle skier Matt Graham falls and slams into a mogul at an FIS World Cup event in Livigno, Italy.
CBC
22-03-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Canada's Guimond, Jepsen, Ericsson earn bronze medals at Para alpine World Cup finals
Social Sharing Canada's Para alpine skiers delivered three bronze medals on the second day of racing at the FIS World Cup finals in Veysonnaz, Switzerland. Alexis Guimond of Gatineau, Que., placed third in the men's standing giant slalom event, clocking a time of one minute 54.26 seconds. Arthur Bauchet (1:51.72) and Jules Seger (1:53.55) made it a 1-2 finish for France. The 25-year-old Guimond, who won bronze in the discipline at the last two Paralympics, also finished third on Thursday in the opening giant slalom event in Veysonnaz. He has five medals in six World Cup races this season, with a chance to add another Saturday. "Feels good to be back on the podium again," Guimond said in a release. "The skiing is there and great to have consistency. It truly builds confidence. Definitely felt like today was a possible victory, but mistakes happen and looking forward to chase the top of the podium tomorrow." Kimberley, B.C.'s Kalle Ericsson, competing with guide Sierra Smith of Ottawa, bounced back from Thursday's crash to take bronze in the men's vision impaired giant slalom — finishing just 1.6 seconds away from the gold medal with a time of 1:54.94. "Coming off yesterday's crash, it feels great to be back on the podium today," Smith said. "Today's result will give us a boost of confidence and help us go into tomorrow charging." Ericsson and Smith now have seven podium finishes this season. "Definitely looking forward to another race tomorrow," Ericsson said. "Missing second place by so little is tough but just goes to show that we need to be on our A game for tomorrow." Italy's Giacomo Bertagnolli and Andrea Ravelli (1:53.34) won the race ahead of Austrians Johannes Aigner and Nico Haberl (1:54.92). West Vancouver, B.C., native Mollie Jepsen, 25, took home bronze in the women's standing giant slalom in a time of 2:08.47. The six-time Paralympic medallist was competing in just her second race since coming back from injuries that started at the Beijing Games in 2022. "The last three years, two of which being out with my knee and my elbow, have been super challenging so I am trying to be kind to myself, dust off the cobwebs, and gain confidence with every start," Jepsen said. "I've been trying hard not to focus on results, but on my skiing and my tactical approach. "Today was a huge accomplishment and shows me I've been taking the right steps to get back to the top of the podium. Stoked to continue to build on today's momentum." Sweden's Ebba Aarsjoe (1:58.79) was the lone skier to go under two minutes, while France's Aurelie Richard finished ahead of Jepsen for silver in 2:05.96. Collingwood, Ont., native Michaela Gosselin (2:10.00) placed seventh.
NBC Sports
19-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
MIKAELA SHIFFRIN AND LINDSEY VONN HEADLINE LIVE COVERAGE OF 2025 FIS ALPINE SKIING WORLD CUP FINALS FROM SUN VALLEY, IDAHO, BEGINNING THIS WEEK ACROSS NBC, PEACOCK, USA NETWORK, AND CNBC
Winningest Alpine Skier in FIS World Cup History Shiffrin and Winningest Downhill Skier in FIS World Cup History Vonn Lead Team USA Live Coverage Begins with Men's and Women's Downhill on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock NBC Sports' Steve Schlanger, 1998 Nagano Olympic Super-G Gold Medalist Picabo Street, Former Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team Member Steve Porino, and Heather Cox to Call the Action STAMFORD, Conn. – March 19, 2025 – Olympic gold medalists Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn headline NBC Sports' coverage of the 2025 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals from Sun Valley, Idaho, from March 22-30 across NBC, Peacock, USA Network, and CNBC. Sun Valley has a rich history with competitive skiing but has not hosted World Cup races since 1977, with this event being the first World Cup Finals in the U.S. since Aspen hosted in 2017. NBC Sports' live coverage begins this Saturday with the men's and women's downhill finals at 1 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Shiffrin is expected to compete in the slalom next Thursday, March 27, at 2 p.m. ET on USA Network. Shiffrin recently earned her 100th alpine skiing World Cup victory in February, winning the slalom by 61 hundredths of a second in Sestriere, Italy. Coming off a major injury suffered in Killington, VT, in November, Shiffrin became the first alpine skier to reach 100 career individual World Cup victories. More recently on March 9, Shiffrin earned her 156th career World Cup podium finish, breaking a tie with Ingemar Stenmark for the most alpine skiing World Cup podiums. In March 2023, Shiffrin broke Stenmark's alpine record of 86 World Cup victories. Following her injury and subsequent two months of missed action, Shiffrin is mathematically out of the running for this year's World Cup season title, but the three-time Olympic medalist is still expected to compete in the slalom – an event she's historically dominated on the world stage, with a record 63 World Cup victories in the discipline. The 40-year-old Vonn, who holds the overall record for most downhill wins (43), is in the midst of a comeback season after initially retiring in 2019. She last won a World Cup season title in 2016 in downhill and recently finished 15th in the downhill at the 2025 World Alpine Skiing Championships in Saalbach, Austria – her first world championships since 2019. She is expected to compete in the downhill and super-G. Shiffrin and Vonn will be joined by rising U.S. star and 2025 world super-G bronze medalist Lauren Macuga, 2025 world downhill champion Breezy Johnson, 2023 world team parallel champion Nina O'Brien, two-time Olympian Bryce Bennett, and more. On the international side, reigning Olympic giant slalom gold medalist Marco Odermatt (Switzerland) and Federica Brignone (Italy), who have effectively clinched the men's and women's Crystal Globes, along with two-time Olympic medalist Henrik Kristoffersen (Norway) and rising star Zrinka Ljutic (Croatia), are all expected to compete. Steve Schlanger will handle play-by-play alongside 1998 Nagano Olympic super-G gold medalist Picabo Street and former Stifel U.S. Alpine Ski Team member Steve Porino. Heather Cox will serve as reporter. Street, an Idaho native, will have a sculpture of herself unveiled in Sun Valley this weekend, honoring the Olympic and world champion's illustrious career. 2025 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals Coverage Schedule All times Eastern, check local listings, subject to change. *Encore presentation --NBC SPORTS--
