In the wake of her stunning gold medal victory in women’s slalom at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Mikaela Shiffrin has opened up about the intense mental preparation that helped her conquer years of Olympic demons: working closely with a psychologist to “desensitize” herself to the massive weight of the Games.
The 30-year-old American skiing superstar, who claimed her first Olympic gold in eight years on February 18 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, described the deliberate process of stripping away the emotional overload tied to the word “Olympics” itself. In a recent interview, Shiffrin explained how ongoing sessions with her psychologist focused on reframing the event’s aura.
“Even this summertime, the amount of conversations I had with my psychologist talking about all the different feelings surrounding the Olympics, and like desensitizing to the word, and imagining the vibe, imagining the colors,” Shiffrin said, according to reports from Business Insider and other outlets. She even took proactive steps beyond therapy, visiting Paris two summers ago during preparations for what would have been the 2024 Summer Games’ vibe to acclimate herself to Olympic atmospheres in advance.
The strategy paid off dramatically. After a rocky start to these Games—including criticism following earlier events—Shiffrin blocked out external noise, avoided social media, and leaned on her inner circle: her psychologist, mother and coach Eileen, fiancé Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, and close team members. “I just sort of desensitized to a lot of it,” she reflected post-race. “Honestly, maybe I was a little tired of thinking of it all. And just be ready to ski. That was great.”
This mental reset built on years of work addressing anxiety, grief over her father’s death, and even PTSD following a serious 2024 injury crash in Killington, Vermont. Shiffrin has long been an advocate for mental health in sports, previously sharing raw accounts of self-doubt, intrusive thoughts, and the journey to reclaim joy on the slopes.
Her slalom triumph—described by many as exorcising “Olympic ghosts”—silenced doubters and delivered a powerful message: elite performance often hinges on mastering the mind as much as the body. By desensitizing to the hype, pressure, and expectations, Shiffrin transformed potential paralysis into pure focus between the start and finish gates.
As the Milano Cortina Games continue, Shiffrin’s candid revelation highlights a growing priority in high-stakes athletics: proactive psychological tools that turn overwhelming moments into just another day on the hill. For the most decorated alpine skier in history, it’s proof that sometimes the hardest slopes to conquer aren’t covered in snow—they’re in the mind.
