The world’s most successful alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin has spoken openly about her mental health struggles in returning to competition after a freak race injury.
The American was set for her 100th World Cup victory when leading the second leg of a giant slalom race in Killington in December when she crashed out near the end of the run, somersaulting into the safety nets.
Shiffrin suffered a puncture wound and muscle damage to her stomach, an injury she told BBC’s Ski Sunday was “weird, gross and painful”.
The 29-year-old spent two months out injured but is back competing at the Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach, Austria.
“From the outside you look fine, you’re back skiing again – but you’re not OK yet,” said Shiffrin.
“I’ve been experiencing that more than I ever did, or ever imagined, with giant slalom in particular.
“Sometimes I’ll get a random vision of crashing. 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.”
She partnered with world downhill champion Breezy Johnson in the women’s team combined event on Tuesday, turning down an invite from Lindsey Vonn in the process. The pair won gold.
Shiffrin said racing with Johnson had been a different, positive, dynamic, while her fellow American, 29, just wanted to see her happy.
The medal was simply a bonus as Shiffrin explained: “As an individual athlete, you never feel you are doing enough.
“Be faster, fix other things, there’s always things to work on. You’re living in this world, a very critical world, and you just never feel good enough.
“But I could really lean on Breezy. I wanted to do well for her and she felt the same for me.”
Shiffrin opted not to compete in the giant slalom but is set for Saturday’s slalom, an event she has won four times.
She currently has 15 World Championship medals and would break the record should she finish on the podium again.
Shiffrin, however, was unsure of adding to the tally.
“It might not be enough for a medal but this is part of the recovery process,” she added.
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Watch the full interview on Ski Sunday, 16 February, BBC Two, 17:15 GMT.
