Shiffrin writes in essay she feels ‘like myself again’ after recovering from ski racing crash and PTSD

PARK CITY, Utah— Mikaela Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic champion, now feels “like myself again” after recuperating from a ski racing crash last season and lasting post-traumatic stress disorder.

World Cup Alpine Ski Racing features world-class competitors such as USA Champion Mikaela Shiffrin. Photo: Steven Konrreich (@steven_kornreich)

Shiffrin revealed in an editorial published Friday by The Players’ Tribune the physical and mental challenges she faced following her devastating spill during a giant slalom competition in Killington, Vermont, on November 30. Shiffrin’s oblique muscles were severely damaged after something perforated her side during the incident.

“Everyone understands what it is like to have a nasty cough. The 30-year-old from Edwards, Colorado, wrote, “PTSD is not like that.” “It comes in many shapes and sizes. Everyone has a unique experience, and no two cases are the same.”

WATCH: Shiffrin wins her first World Cup slalom of the season and 98th career victory.
November 16, 2024.
Shiffrin was leading after the first run of the GS that day at Killington. On her final run, as the finish line approached, she lost an edge and went into a gate, flipping over her skis. The most successful Alpine World Cup ski racer of all time collided with another gate before coming to a halt in the safety fencing. To this day, she has no idea what caused the puncture wound; all she knows is that it was “a millimeter from pretty catastrophic,” she told Associated Press.

Shiffrin stated in The Players’ Tribune that it was “difficult to describe what the pain felt like.” “It felt as if a knife was stabbing me from within.”

Shiffrin made her return to the World Cup circuit in late January. The giant slalom, however, remained a source of concern, and she skipped the race at the world championships.

She is steadily working on overcoming the emotional anguish associated with the GS as she prepares for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games. She earned the Olympic gold medal in the discipline at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

She has been working with a psychotherapist to overcome her mental hurdles.

“I can admit that there were some extremely low moments,” said Shiffrin, who won her 100th career World Cup ski race in February. “There were times when I began second-guessing myself or being judgmental of myself because I thought I was allowing what happened to affect me so much. It was like, “Come on, Mikaela, people have had much worse crashes and injuries.” They got through it. What’s wrong with you?

“On especially difficult days, I would question my motivation and whether I still wanted to do this. In my brain, I’d be telling myself, “You know what, I don’t really care if I ever race again.”

She and the therapist began discussing her recovery through the lens of PTSD.

“With me, I believe it is probable that the crash I had in Cortina at the beginning of 2024 and then Killington will occur. … Shiffrin speculated that the two crashes could have been compounded. “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 father, Jeff, in a house accident five years ago. Her fiancé and fellow ski racer, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway, is still recovering following a devastating ski crash on January 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 said.

One thing that has helped Shiffrin is “getting back to a place of joy.” She concluded her essay with, “All I can do is smile in appreciation. “I finally feel like myself again.”