Mikaela Shiffrin admits to nightmares as the American skiing legend continues to deal with the horrors of a career-threatening crash

Some ghosts never stop bothering you! Mikaela Shiffrin understands this all too well. November 30, 2024, may have been one of the most memorable days of her career. A historic 100th World Cup win—the type of moment players dream about. But, as they say, nothing worth having is simple. Instead of glory, she received disaster—a catastrophic accident at the Stifel Killington Cup that transformed what should have been a victory into a nightmare she can’t shake. Over two months later, it’s still playing in her brain like a horror film, only she’s both the main character and the unlucky victim. But, what precisely transpired that day?

Shiffrin misjudged, placing too much weight on her inner ski, resulting in a horrific fall! Her abdomen was punctured, and her oblique muscles were severely damaged as a result of the collision. The most disturbing aspect? Whatever punctured her side remains a mystery, making this event seem almost uncanny. Determined to figure out what went wrong, Shiffrin has reviewed the tape several times, scrutinizing every aspect. Was this her ski pole? A portion of the gate?

That’s not certain. It’s evident how close she came to disaster. The thing that pierced her nearly perforated her abdominal wall and intestines, just avoiding a far worse catastrophe. “Your colon remains intact. This is simply a hole in your side. “That’s fine,” she remembered being told. But in her mind, the words seemed empty.”I’m like, ‘But there’s still a hole in my side and I can’t move.'”Despite the tragedy, Shiffrin battled back. Was it simple for her?

Mikaela Shiffrin Suffers Rough Defeat as Skiing Star Forced to Watch 16th World Championship Slip During World Cup

Mikaela Shiffrin returned to the slalom race at Courchevel on January 30 and finished 10th. Even now, when she participates in the Alpine World Ski Championships in Austria, she acknowledges that her nervousness persists. “Sometimes I’ll get a random vision of crashing,” she told me.”It might not be the Killington crash; it could be the course in front of me, that I have this random vision that I’m in the nets again and something else is stabbing through me.” It appears that the mind, like any snowy hill, may be a formidable impediment. Moments of delight do exist, however.

Joining Breezy Johnson in the women’s team combined event resulted in a gold medal and a sense of togetherness, something she had been missing.”As an individual athlete, you never feel you are doing enough,” she told me. With 15 World Championship medals, she is on the verge of history.

One win away from 100, but first Mikaela Shiffrin’s struggle against fear.

With another podium result, she would become the most decorated skier in World Championship history. However, Shiffrin’s focus has shifted away from the records. And, in this conflict between past suffering and future accomplishments, healing may be the most significant win. However, shortly before the team event, she released an unexpected update, leaving supporters startled.

Mikaela Shiffrin was hopeful a few weeks ago that with more training, she’d be able to compete in giant slalom again. But, when the Alpine Skiing World Championships approached, she realized she wasn’t quite ready. Two days after winning gold in the team combined event, Shiffrin declared that she will not defend her GS title, citing PTSD after her November crash.

Physically, she is back on the slopes, but mentally? That’s an entirely other difficulty. The pace, force, and dedication to each turn have been stifled. But she’s not going to force it till she’s ready. That doesn’t imply she’s finished with GS; she’s merely paused it. Shiffrin plans to return the weekend following Worlds to the World Cup stop in Sestriere, Italy, where two GS races and a slalom are scheduled.

With 99 World Cup victories, she’s only one away from reaching the magical number 100, but she understands that pushing through too soon will not benefit her. Giving oneself time means coming back stronger, and if we’ve learned anything about Shiffrin, it’s that when she returns on her own terms, history seems to follow.