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“Mikaela Shiffrin: Learning to Breathe Through Fear — Not Fight It”

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Exclusive – Mikaela Shiffrin: How I became’more comfortable with feeling frightened’

The double Olympic champion tells Olympics.com how she is conquering her concerns and intends to’make peace’ in Milano Cortina 2026: “I don’t want Beijing to be the reason that I’m scared of the Olympics,” she told the crowd.

According to Mikaela Shiffrin, her favourite songs from Taylor Swift’s latest album are more profound than popular hits. She enjoys listening to the lyrics and the concept.

The Alpine skiing star’s demeanour has evolved over time, revealing both a fun and reflective side. “I’m a thicker onion!” she acknowledged during an exclusive interview with Olympics.com at the recent Atomic Media Day in Bergheim, Austria.

The 30-year-old openly discussed her PTSD symptoms after recovering from a puncture wound sustained at her home event in Killington in November.

Shiffrin returned to competition two months later, but struggled with her worries, especially in giant slalom. After a gradual process, the Team USA star is now prepared to start the new season with renewed mental strength. “I feel that I understand more about myself, and last year’s experience was quite similar to how I felt after my dad passed away,” she told me.

Following the tragic death of her father, Jeff, in early 2020, Shiffrin pulled aside from the sport and openly discussed her grief.

“At the time, I wasn’t dealing with a psychologist, so I had no idea why these things were happening or what the chemical repercussions in the brain were. After discussing PTSD and intrusive thoughts with a psychologist last year, the eight-time world champion now feels more at ease with experiencing panic on occasion.

The method has given her a clear idea of how she wants to compete.

“My task is to keep trying, keep practising, keep exposing myself to faster skiing — and when I go step by step, it works, it gets better.”

Shiffrin discusses how fiancée Kilde has been her rock.

Shiffrin wasn’t alone throughout the most difficult parts of her recovery.

Her fiancée, Alexander Aamodt Kilde, was recovering from significant injuries and a shoulder infection after a January 2024 crash.

Despite their preference to ‘not push something upon the other person’, the couple has maintained open communication throughout the last few months. “I think we’re both really good at listening to what the other is feeling and being able to voice our own experience too,” Shiffrin says.

“He is really supportive in whatever way he can. He maintains a cheerful attitude and reminds me that everything will be fine. And, especially last season, there were times when I wondered why I was attempting to return and whether it was too much, too soon, or not doable. He said, “Hey, you know yourself better.” You are putting out your best effort. If it doesn’t work, that’s also fine. Just to open up the idea without putting me under more pressure was quite beneficial.”

Shiffrin: I do not want Beijing to be the reason I am afraid of the Olympics.

Shiffrin, who has spent 15 seasons on the premier tour, is preparing for her fourth Olympic campaign, though she admits it may not be her last.

following winning three medals, including two golds, in her first two Games, the Colorado-born athlete sees the need to improve following a dismal performance in Beijing 2022.

Shiffrin did not finish three of the six races she entered at Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre, resulting in no medals for her.

The twice Olympic winner emphasised the importance of making peace rather than unresolved business.

“To be peaceful during the Olympics, I would accept whatever happens, whether I win or lose medals.” And to simply, I don’t know, live in that and be able to accept and feel it.

“I don’t want Beijing to be the reason for my fear of the Olympics. And it has been little different in recent years. But for now, I’m hopeful about the season. I’m not really prepared, but I’m excited — and when Cortina arrives, we’ll just take it day by day, as it comes.”

Shiffrin intends to aim three tournaments at Milano Cortina in 2026.

Shiffrin believes her troubles at the Beijing 2022 Olympics were caused by a variety of causes, and it wasn’t due to competing in too many events. “I thoroughly enjoyed racing everything in Beijing. There were so many things influencing those Games. COVID – I had only been sick with COVID about a week before our trip to China, so I was still feeling the symptoms in my body. My father passed away on the anniversary of his death during Beijing…

However, not everything was unpleasant in Beijing. Those games also provided valuable lessons. “The thing I liked the most about Beijing was every time I fell down, I got back up and got back in the start and kept racing, which was actually a pretty beautiful experience.”

The American racer, who boycotted all speed events last season, said she intends to gradually reintegrate Super-G into her schedule. She declined to compete in the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, which will take place in less than four months. “I would love to race everything, but the realistic answer is that I can’t,” she told me.

“It’s far better for your physical and mental health to concentrate on the most important occasions. So I believe I’ll race three races: slalom, GS, and team combined. “Those would be my target races.”

Mikaela Shiffrin: “I feel older…” And wiser.

Shiffrin, who made her Olympic debut as a teenager in Sochi 2014, comments on her personal growth, yet she still misses her youth.

“I definitely feel older. I think I may have greater experience. Perhaps I wished I had less experience so that I could be this naive, with fresh eyes and a new perspective on the world. That was very wonderful. I was occasionally uneducated, which wasn’t a negative trait.

I felt good. I used to feel psychologically strong, but now I’m afraid. I have a greater knowledge of what happens when things go wrong. My past includes more injuries and discomfort. After losing my father, I sometimes wish I could go back to the excitement of the Olympics and run without having to deal with the aftermath. But, anyhow, you can’t erase the past or the experiences, so I’m happy for the things I’ve learnt, and I feel older and perhaps wiser.”

And it’s possible that Shiffrin’s eagerness for the new season and the forthcoming Winter Games stems from those experiences: “Cortina (d’Ampezzo) is great. It’s a place we’re more familiar with, and I enjoy it there. The Olympic insignia add a unique touch to the magnificent scenery, wonderful food, and mood. So I’m excited to see what it’s like to be there.”

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