Shiffrin wins record-equaling 15th medal at World Ski Championships

Mikaela Shiffrin won a record-equaling 15th medal at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach, Austria, on Tuesday, coming off a crash that she said left her with post-traumatic stress disorder.

To win the combined event, Shiffrin teamed up with Breezy Johnson, who won individual downhill gold just weeks after returning from a 14-month ban for three anti-doping whereabouts violations.

The win, thanks to Johnson’s fourth-fastest downhill and Shiffrin’s third-fastest slalom, marked the latter’s stunning return to action after suffering an abdominal puncture wound in a heavy fall in Killington in November.

It was Shiffrin’s eighth career gold medal at the World Championships, and her total of 15 ties her with German skier Christl Cranz, who competed in the 1930s.

However, the 29-year-old American admitted that competing at the Austrian resort had been a daunting task following her crash.

Shiffrin announced Monday that she would not defend her giant slalom title out of fear, citing PTSD-like issues with the discipline.

“It’s scary, but I want to be here,” Shiffrin explained.

“In the last two weeks, I haven’t felt very much. I haven’t felt the desire to be here. I felt like it was too terrifying.”

Shiffrin added that competing at a world championship was more than just battling for medals, which may come as no surprise given that she has eight gold medals, four in slalom, two in combined, and one each in giant slalom and super-G, as well as four silvers and three bronzes.

“A lot of people believe that medals are the most important thing. But, in the end, it comes down to how you act and how you support one another,” she said.

“When I realized that the GS could not be raced right now and that I needed more time to train, I considered combining the teams… I spoke with Breezy briefly.

“She was like, ‘Hey, it’s not about the medal. Do it because it’s insanely entertaining. “Do it because you enjoy skiing and want to be here.”

Pain goes away.

Shiffrin claimed her injury “doesn’t still hurt.”

“And that’s a nice thing about muscles: as they heal, the pain goes away, unlike ligaments and knees, which you have to deal with for a long time afterwards.

“The rest of my body hurts because I’m not used to skiing yet! But yes, we are doing well. We’re working through the mental issues.

“We want it to be simple, and you want to complete the rehabilitation process successfully. And once you’re on snow, you think, “It’ll be fun, and my passion will outweigh any hardships.”

“It’s going step by step, and we’ll get there. But there are so many variables in skiing that it’s not that simple.”

Johnson, Shiffrin’s friend and competitor since age 11, praised her teammate’s return as “super impressive.”

“I wanted to help her because I feel like she deserves it after everything that she’s been through and all the ways that she’s helped me from when I was just a little kid.”

Lara Gut-Behrami and Wendy Holdener, an experienced Swiss pair, won silver in the combined, their ninth and eighth world medals, respectively.

According to Gut-Behrami, Shiffrin was the type of athlete who drew fans to the sport and helped shape it.

“When we were kids, we were watching previous world champs, getting inspired by them, hoping that maybe one day we could do something similar,” she told me.

“And this is what she’s doing, what we’re trying to do for the future: to have the kids that are watching right now racing in a few years.”

Lauren Macuga, Shiffrin’s super-G bronze medalist who led the combined downhill times before finishing fourth, said: “It’s so cool to see Mikaela regain her confidence and get back into the game.

“This is fantastic for her, especially given the upcoming world slalom championships. I mean, having a good run on the hill is a great way to kick off her world championships.”