SAALBACH-HINTERGLEMM, Austria — Mikaela Shiffrin says she is coping with post-traumatic stress dysfunction following a crash in November and won’t defend her gold medal in large slalom on the alpine snowboarding world championships.
The American holder of a document 99 World Cup wins suffered a deep puncture wound when she fell in a large slalom race on Nov. 30 in Killington, Vt., inflicting extreme trauma to her indirect muscular tissues.
“I’m mentally blocked in having the ability to get to the following degree of tempo and velocity and placing energy into the turns,” Shiffrin mentioned in an audio message shared with The Related Press on Monday. “And that form of psychological, psychological like PTSD-esque battle is greater than I anticipated.
“I figured as soon as we touched floor in Europe and we bought an opportunity to get some repetitive coaching days, I’d have the ability to enhance step-by-step and type of the eagerness and the eager for racing was going to outweigh any concern that I had,” she added.
No matter stabbed Shiffrin in her fall at Killington almost punctured her stomach wall and her colon. She instructed The Related Press final month that her harm was “a millimetre from fairly catastrophic.”
Shiffrin additionally had a high-speed crash in downhill in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, final season that stored her out for six weeks. She has mentioned her fears with a psychologist, mentioned Megan Harrod, Shiffrin’s spokeswoman.
On Instagram, Shiffrin wrote: “Actually, I actually didn’t anticipate experiencing a lot of this sort of psychological/PTSD battle in GS from my harm.”
Shiffrin received gold in large slalom on the final worlds in France two years in the past
The ladies’s large slalom is scheduled for Thursday and Shiffrin mentioned it was “soul crushing” not to have the ability to defend her title.
“Two years in the past I used to be at my prime degree I’ve ever skied in GS. It was essentially the most enjoyable I ever had snowboarding GS,” Shiffrin mentioned. “To be right here now and never even have the ability to begin, that’s fairly heartbreaking.”
Shiffrin returned to motion final month when she positioned tenth in a slalom in Courchevel, France, and continues to be planning to race the slalom — her finest occasion — at worlds on Saturday.
The speeds in slalom are decrease than these in large slalom, so the hazard degree shouldn’t be as excessive.
Shiffrin will enter group mixed and pair with Breezy Johnson
By now abandoning the enormous slalom, Shiffrin has determined to enter the brand new group mixed occasion at worlds on Tuesday and can pair with freshly topped downhill gold medalist Breezy Johnson.
The mixed occasion entails one racer competing in a downhill run and one other in a slalom run, with their two occasions added as much as decide the ultimate outcomes.
“I’m not at full capability, not in large slalom and never in slalom both,” Shiffrin mentioned. “However I really feel ok in slalom.”
The opposite U.S. groups for the occasion are super-G bronze medalist Lauren Macuga and Paula Moltzan; Lindsey Vonn and AJ Harm; and Jacqueline Wiles and Katie Hensien.
Vonn wished to pair with Shiffrin in a snowboarding ‘dream group’
Vonn had campaigned to race with Shiffrin in a “dream group” that includes the 2 most profitable feminine World Cup skiers of all time. However the U.S. teaching employees chosen the pairings primarily based on “season-best outcomes” in each occasions.
“Why am I not stunned?” Vonn wrote on the social media platform X with a shrug emoji earlier than erasing her posting.
Then Vonn added a brand new publish on X that mentioned: “All the time been a group participant and I assist my group it doesn’t matter what. I’m not stunned by the selections made however at the very least now it’s clear that it’s not my choice. I’ve at all times been supportive and respectful and that may by no means change,” Vonn mentioned, concluding with a Go USA flag emoji.
Shiffrin has a particular bond with Johnson
Johnson’s downhill victory marked her first win wherever at this degree — together with the World Cup.
“Breezy and I’ve been racing collectively since we had been 11. We had been at Whistler Cup and Topolino collectively,” Shiffrin mentioned, referring to 2 prestigious junior occasions. “We’ve been roommates, rivals, buddies… It is going to be so so cool to convey this full circle.”
Johnson lately returned from a 14-month ban for 3 “whereabouts” violations in anti-doping protocol.
“She is aware of the psychological challenges of this sport higher than anybody,” Shiffrin mentioned. “She has fought tooth and nail to get right here, and now she is World Champion… her journey and grit and willpower has impressed the heck out of me.”
Shiffrin added that the mixed is “like this little glimmer of hope that we are able to do that and this may be enjoyable. This simply may not be so scary.”
Shiffrin hopes to return to GS later this month
Shiffrin hopes to return to large slalom the weekend after worlds on the World Cup circuit in Sestriere, Italy, the place two GS races and a slalom are scheduled.
Shiffrin wants another win to succeed in a record-extending 100 World Cup victories.
She mentioned that by pushing aside her GS return off for now it “buys us just a bit bit extra time to get issues a bit of bit extra sorted.”
