Mikaela Shiffrin Confronts “Soul-Crushing” Mental Health Battle Ahead of 2026 Winter Games

Mikaela Shiffrin Confronts “Soul-Crushing” Mental Health Battle Ahead of 2026 Winter Games

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO — As the world’s most decorated alpine skier, Mikaela Shiffrin is no stranger to the crushing weight of expectation. But as she prepares for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, the 30-year-old American icon is opening up about a different kind of burden: a complex journey through grief, intrusive thoughts, and a clinical diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

In a series of candid reflections—including a deeply personal essay for The Players’ Tribune and recent interviews—Shiffrin has detailed how the trauma of the last four years nearly derailed her legendary career.

The “Perfect Storm” of Trauma

Shiffrin’s mental health journey reached a turning point following the Beijing 2022 Games. After entering six events and failing to medal—an outcome that shocked the sporting world—Shiffrin realized that the “power through” mentality was no longer working.

She revealed that she began working with a psychologist in the summer of 2022 to navigate the “nonlinear and unstructured” grief of her father Jeff’s sudden passing in 2020.

“In Beijing, I had hoped to be able to put everything else in my life on pause and just power through,” Shiffrin shared. “I just couldn’t.”

The Battle with PTSD

The psychological challenge intensified after a harrowing crash in Killington, Vermont, in November 2024. The accident left Shiffrin with a five-centimeter-deep puncture wound in her abdomen—an injury doctors said was a single millimeter away from being life-threatening.

While her body healed, her mind began to replay the crash in “flashbacks” and “intrusive thoughts.” These symptoms led to a formal diagnosis of PTSD. Returning to the Giant Slalom (GS) gates—the very discipline where she crashed—triggered a physical paralysis she described as “running in molasses.”

“Coming to terms with how much fear I have doing an event that I loved so dearly only two months ago has been soul-crushing,” Shiffrin admitted.

Growth Through Vulnerability

Shiffrin’s approach to the 2026 Games is a radical departure from her past. By cutting her Olympic program in half—focusing only on Slalom, Giant Slalom, and the Team Combined—she is prioritizing mental clarity over a packed trophy case.

Working with her therapist has helped her understand the “chemical effects in the brain” and normalized her fear. By speaking out, she has joined fellow legends like Simone Biles in shifting the global narrative around elite athletes and mental health.

“I feel maybe I have more experience… I have more fear,” Shiffrin said. “But I’m grateful for the lessons I’ve learned. I feel older, maybe a bit wiser.”