Mikaela Shiffrin reveals inner thoughts while skiing towards first victory of season after overcoming major hardships

Mikaela Shiffrin opened up about her thoughts while skiing towards her first win of the season. The American navigated multiple adversities last year to make her way back to the sport.

Shiffrin won her 102nd World Cup victory on November 15, 2025, in the slalom opener of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in Lapland, Finland. She owned the event by finishing an impressive 1.66s ahead of her contender, Lara Coultri. The triumph marked her ninth career win on the Levi track, which is an annual event where the winner is awarded a reindeer.

The win came after a challenging 2024, when she faced a devastating crash during a giant slalom race in Killington, Vermont, in November. She sustained a deep puncture wound to her abdomen, which also affected her oblique muscles.

The accident also impacted her mental health. Reflecting on her journey and her first victory of the season, she reshared a post from the US ski team on her Instagram and wrote:

"People saying kind things about the day...."

Shiffrin went on to share a picture of herself while skiing in her second story and added:

"Me: don't dissociate. DON'T DISSOCIATE."

In addition to this, she shared a picture of reindeer and again added:

"Dont dissociate. DONT."

Following her injury in November last year, Shiffrin won her 100th win in February 2025 in the slalom in Sestriere.

When Mikaela Shiffrin opened up about her lowest moments during rehabilitation after the crash

Earlier this year in May, Mikaela Shiffrin sat for a conversation with The Players Tribune. Opening up about her condition post her accident, she opened up about her lowest moments when she questioned herself after stepping on the snow. Revealing how she was critical of herself, she said:

"I can admit that there were some extremely low moments. Times when I started second-guessing myself, or was critical of myself because I felt like I was letting what happened mess with me so much. It was like: Come on, Mikaela, people have had way worse crashes than that, way worse injuries. Those people got through it. What is wrong with you?" said Mikaela Shiffrin.

She added:

"On particularly bad days, I’d question my motivation, or whether I still wanted to do this anymore. In my head, I’d be saying to myself: You know what, I kind of couldn’t care less if I ever race again.

After facing all the difficulties, Mikaela Shiffrin has now begun her Winter Olympics qualification journey on a great note with her 102nd win.

Edited by Tushhita Barua