Why It Was Hard to Let Go: Mikaela Shiffrin Shares an Emotional Event That Happened Between Her Ex, Mathieu Faivre, and Her

For someone whose life has been defined by discipline, focus, and winning, Mikaela Shiffrin has rarely allowed her emotions to take center stage. But when she recently opened up about her past relationship with French skier Mathieu Faivre, her vulnerability caught many by surprise. In her words, love was both her greatest comfort and her deepest challenge. And as she revealed, one particular emotional event made letting go of that relationship much harder than anyone knew.

The Beginning of a Beautiful Connection

Mikaela Shiffrin and Mathieu Faivre first crossed paths on the World Cup circuit, where mutual respect quickly blossomed into affection. Both young, ambitious, and immensely talented, they found in each other a rare sense of understanding. “We didn’t have to explain the pressure,” Shiffrin once said. “We lived it together every day.”

Their relationship became a small pocket of calm in the stormy world of professional skiing. They trained together, traveled together, and shared the highs and lows that came with being elite athletes. Faivre, known for his fiery personality and bold skiing style, complemented Shiffrin’s composed, meticulous approach. For a while, they seemed unstoppable—both on and off the slopes.

But even the strongest connections can be tested when ambition, fame, and personal growth start pulling in different directions.

The Moment That Changed Everything

In her recent conversation with a journalist close to her team, Shiffrin revisited one emotional moment that she says still lingers in her memory—a quiet evening after one of Faivre’s toughest races. “He was devastated after a bad result,” she recalled. “I remember sitting beside him, trying to tell him that it didn’t change who he was. But he wasn’t listening. He kept saying, ‘You’ll never understand what it feels like to fail.’”

Those words stung deeply. Shiffrin, who had also faced pressure and disappointment, suddenly felt the divide between them widen. “It was the first time I felt like we were on different sides,” she said. “I loved him, but at that moment, I realized love isn’t always enough when someone’s pain blinds them to yours.”

That night marked a shift. Though they continued to support each other publicly, something had changed privately. The balance between them—once easy and mutual—started to tilt.

When Love and Ambition Collide

Being in a relationship where both partners are world-class athletes can be exhilarating, but it also comes with invisible pressures. For Shiffrin, success became both her blessing and her burden. Every time she stood atop the podium, Faivre’s struggles seemed to grow heavier. “It wasn’t jealousy,” she said carefully. “It was frustration. He wanted to prove himself, and I understood that. But sometimes, success becomes the thing that separates you, not what binds you.”

Shiffrin recalled moments when Faivre’s pride made communication difficult. “He didn’t want me to comfort him after a bad race,” she said. “He wanted to face it alone. But when you love someone, all you want is to be there. And when they push you away, it hurts.”

She admitted that she often felt torn between being a supportive partner and protecting her own emotional well-being. “I started to feel like I was shrinking,” she said. “I was trying to hold him up, but I was losing pieces of myself in the process.”

The Event That Made Letting Go So Hard

Months later, during the World Championships, Faivre achieved a major victory. For Shiffrin, watching him succeed brought both joy and heartbreak. “He looked at me after his win, and there was this moment—just a few seconds—where I saw the person I fell in love with again,” she said. “It was pure, it was honest, and it reminded me of everything good between us.”

But that moment also deepened the pain. “When I saw him like that, I realized how much love was still there,” she said softly. “It would have been easier to let go if I had stopped caring. But I hadn’t.”

That emotional mix—love, pride, sadness—made the eventual breakup much harder. “It’s one thing to leave someone when it’s all bad,” she explained. “It’s another when you still see glimpses of what made it beautiful.”

The Breaking Point

Despite their efforts, the cracks in their relationship became too deep to ignore. Schedules, emotional distance, and the unrelenting demands of their sport pushed them apart. “It wasn’t a single fight or betrayal,” Shiffrin said. “It was a slow realization that we were no longer growing together.”

She described their final conversation as “heart-wrenchingly calm.” “We didn’t yell. We just sat there knowing it was over,” she said. “I told him I loved him, and he said he loved me too—but sometimes love just isn’t enough to keep two people together.”

Walking away, she confessed, was one of the hardest decisions of her life. “I kept replaying all the good memories in my head,” she said. “The laughter, the small things. Letting go wasn’t just losing a boyfriend—it was losing a part of my past.”

Life After Love

In the months that followed, Shiffrin poured her emotions into her skiing. Her performances fluctuated as she worked through the heartbreak privately. “Skiing became my therapy,” she said. “Every run was a way to process what I couldn’t say out loud.”

Even so, she admitted that it took a long time to truly move on. “People think athletes are mentally unshakable, but heartbreak doesn’t care how strong you are,” she said. “It humbles you.”

With time, she found peace—not by forgetting Faivre, but by accepting what their relationship had meant. “He’ll always be a part of my story,” she said. “Not as a mistake, but as a chapter that taught me what love and loss really feel like.”

Finding Love Again

Years later, Shiffrin met Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who would become her fiancé and partner in life and competition. “When I met Aleks, I realized love doesn’t have to feel like walking on eggshells,” she said. “It can be steady, supportive, and peaceful.”

She has often spoken about how Kilde helped her find emotional balance. “He sees me as Mikaela the person, not just Mikaela the skier,” she said. “That makes all the difference.”

Still, Shiffrin doesn’t shy away from acknowledging that her past shaped her. “My relationship with Mathieu taught me how to communicate better, how to protect my peace, and how to let go with grace,” she reflected. “Sometimes, pain gives you the wisdom you didn’t know you needed.”

A Heart That Has Healed, but Never Forgotten

When asked whether she would change anything about her past with Faivre, Shiffrin paused before answering. “No,” she said finally. “Because even though it ended, it was real. I learned what it means to care deeply, to hurt deeply, and to keep going anyway.”

She smiled faintly. “It was hard to let go because there was love. But I’ve learned that real strength isn’t holding on—it’s knowing when to say goodbye and still wishing the other person well.”

Today, Mikaela Shiffrin stands as not just one of the greatest skiers of all time, but also as a woman who has faced love, loss, and renewal with remarkable grace. Her story with Mathieu Faivre remains a tender reminder that even champions have hearts that break—and heal—just like anyone else’s.

Conclusion: A Lesson in Letting Go

Mikaela Shiffrin’s emotional recollection of her relationship with Mathieu Faivre is a story of love’s complexity—a story about ambition, connection, and the moment that made goodbye so hard. It’s a reminder that even the strongest people can struggle to let go when love runs deep.

“I’ll always remember what we had,” she said. “Because in those moments—good and bad—we were just two people trying to love each other the best we could. And that, to me, still matters.”