Just a few weeks ago, Mikaela Shiffrin was in bed, injured, with a drainage tube fitted to aid in her recovery. Following a horrible accident on December 1, nobody expected her to be back competing so soon. But then again, Mikaela Shiffrin is a 2-time Olympics gold-winning skier. Of course, she can do unbelievable stuff. Kudos to her spirit!! As a fan, you have to be in awe of her resilience and desire. This comeback is right up there with all of her Olympics Gold medals and Championship wins.

In terms of the results of the Alpine World Ski Championships, it may not have been the best of outcomes at the Saalbach. But it’s not about the competition rank per se when you are slowly returning to skiing after a gutting, bloody affair. It’s about starting to feel normal again.

Back competing in championships and fighting PTSD

The return to the women’s Slalom was a triumphant one for Mikaela Shiffrin. Don’t go by the numbers for this. Well, given the circumstances, even the number looks good. She finished 5th behind winner Camille Rast, and just 0.05 seconds away from a podium finish. Talking about her return, Shiffrin said to the BBC, “It’s a really good step forward.” Exactly! No need to rush after such an accident. The 100th win will come as sure as sunrise.

Elaborating on the return, the 4-time World Champion in slalom said, “There are some obvious challenges I face to keep improving to get to the point of fighting for podiums by the end of the season. It’s a step-by-step process.” The challenges she is facing are real. It’s psychological. Such a freak accident can leave you mentally wounded. Shiffrin is suffering from exactly that: “Sometimes I’ll get a random vision of crashing. It might not be the Killington crash, it could be the course in front of me, that I have this random vision that I’m in the nets again and something else is stabbing through me.”

By her own admission, she is “not OK yet” even though she looks alright to the outside world. Most importantly, her performance has been affected. In a message recorded for The Associated Press on February 10, she said, “I’m mentally blocked in being able to get to the next level of pace and speed and putting power into the turns.”

It will take time before she completely regains her mental state before the accident: “And that kind of mental, psychological like PTSD-esque struggle is more than I anticipated”. She posted on Instagram admitting how the PTSD struggle even accentuated in the Grand Slalom. Still, she is fighting through the struggles. You can’t help but admire her passion and her love for skiing.

She will be back competing for the gold and the top spots very soon. But now it’s about supporting her return, and her fans have come out to show solidarity and admiration for this US champion.

Nothing but love and respect for Mikaela Shiffrin from the fans

After Shiffrin posted on Instagram congratulating the winners of the women’s Slalom at the Saalbach, her fans came out in numbers to tell her how awe-inspiring she was. One fan commented, “You are amazing. I was cheering for you and you did so good after your crash and surgery!” So true. All she needs is your support. She has always been a winner. What she needs is to feel the snow and be comfortable.

Another fan posted, “Always stand with you Mikaela ❤️❤️❤️”. Mikaela would love to hear that during this difficult period. For a champion, from leading a race to ending up with a stab-like injury is never easy. She is dealing with the pain and the trauma, and it will take some time before she starts winning again. But one fan was cheering for her while she’s on the path to complete recovery: “Great job! Way to fight through your injury as you find your way back!” The skiing fans have come in numbers to see a race, but also to witness her return. One fan said, “It was awesome to see you live in Saalbach today 🔥 you are just amazing Miki, always ❤️”

Another fan elaborated and detailed perfectly the essence of Mikaela Shiffrin competing at this event under the circumstances. It’s unbelievable to see someone come back like this after the injury she had. But here she is, overcoming pain and fear. And the fan bowed to her greatness: “Given the curveballs that have been thrown your way in the last few days, weeks, and months…your presence here is enough. I can’t think of many people who would come back from that injury midseason…let alone within the timeframe you did. Kudos to you, @regandewhirst, and the entire team for your insanely hard work and determination. And thank you for your openness about PTSD…something so many of us can relate to, even though what you do on the mountain is so completely otherworldly and unrelatable. ❤️”

Mikaela Shiffrin is calculating her steps. We know she is planning her 100th World Cup win. But for that, she has to put the accident behind her completely.