American skiing star Mikaela Shiffrin is approaching the 2025-26 Olympic season with a brighter outlook after two challenging years marked by serious crashes, including one that triggered post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a dip in her World Cup rankings. In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Shiffrin shared, “My confidence is improving, and I’m feeling more at ease overall.”
Despite her progress, Shiffrin will not compete in downhill events this season and may also sit out super-G races as she focuses on rebuilding her confidence ahead of the Milan-Cortina Olympics. The 30-year-old plans to prioritize her strongest events—slalom and giant slalom (GS)—while keeping super-G as a possibility later in the season, potentially starting in mid-December.
The World Cup season kicks off with a women’s giant slalom on October 25 in Austria, followed by a men’s race the next day. Shiffrin, who has trained minimally in super-G during the offseason, said she’s not yet ready to race in that discipline. “I need more super-G training to feel confident,” she explained at an event hosted by her equipment sponsor, Atomic. She has one super-G race tentatively planned for December 14 in St. Moritz, Switzerland, with further decisions pending her comfort level.
Shiffrin’s cautious approach follows a series of setbacks. In January 2024, she injured her knee in a downhill crash on the Olympic course in Cortina d’Ampezzo, her last competitive downhill. Her most recent super-G attempt in December 2023 ended with a did-not-finish in Val d’Isere, France. Additionally, a November 2024 giant slalom crash in Killington, Vermont, caused severe oblique muscle damage, sidelining her for two months and contributing to lingering PTSD.
Despite these challenges, Shiffrin returned to competition last season, securing her 100th and 101st World Cup victories in slalom and GS, along with a gold medal in the team combined event at the world championships in Austria alongside Breezy Johnson. Reflecting on her recovery, she noted, “I finally felt like myself again” while racing GS.
Shiffrin’s summer training in Ushuaia, Argentina, emphasized giant slalom, with increased focus on repetitions to hone her skills. “I’ve done a lot more GS volume than in previous years,” she said. With 101 career World Cup wins, including nine in speed events (five in super-G, four in downhill), two Olympic golds, five overall titles, and eight slalom season titles, Shiffrin remains a dominant force in technical events.
Yet, even with her storied career, the pressure of competition still brings nerves. “I feel more nervous each season because I know how tough it is to succeed—and how much I want to,” Shiffrin admitted. “I believe I have better skiing to discover, and that’s what drives me now.”
As the Olympic season looms, Shiffrin’s focus on slalom and GS, with a potential return to super-G, signals a strategic approach to reclaiming her dominance while prioritizing mental and physical recovery.
