?I Crossed the Line?: US Olympian Finally Opens Up on Eating Disorder and Scary Crash 18 Months Ago

Life hasn’t been easy in the past two years for Alice Merryweather. The?alpine ski?racer, who has been part of the 2018 US Olympic team, survived a major scare that could’ve almost turned fatal for her in September 2021. If that wasn’t enough, the accident came on the heels of her months-long battle against an eating disorder. Recently, charged with a newfound perspective on life, Merryweather believes the definition of?“being the perfect athlete”?has changed for her. Let’s find out how.

Alice Merryweather recently opened up about her struggles with everything in the past 18 months. Her eating disorder, her accident leading to multiple injuries, and eventually, her process of healing made her realize how precious health actually is. It has set her life with a new set of priorities.

It hasn’t been easy for Alice Merryweather

Merryweather said to Olympics.com,?“Oftentimes, we don?t talk about how quickly it can shift from being a really hard worker to being way over the edge and starting to hurt yourself. And so, I just didn?t realize that I crossed the line.”?Merryweather, currently 26, won the World Junior Championships at age 19 in 2007. She soon made the US Olympics team for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics Winter Games. Merryweather has hardly stopped since then.

She continued,?“I just assumed I was still doing good things. I was being the perfect athlete in pushing myself way too hard and in eating only foods that I deemed clean enough or healthy enough”. However, unbeknownst to Merryweather, things soon spiraled out of control until she realized she had an eating disorder. It also took a toll on her mental health, and she credits Olympics teammate Jessie Diggins for helping her out of that rut. Diggins herself?battled food poisoning at the Beijing Winter Olympics?last year in her quest for gold. Clearly, both friends believe in pushing themselves too far.

READ MORE – WATCH: Olympian Overcomes a Major Fault to Win First Alpine Ski World Cup Race Post Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Just as she was recovering from one condition, a deadly crash during a downhill training session left her with multiple injuries. After spending months in rehab, Merryweather came out a whole different person.

Merryweather looks at her future with optimism

Merryweather isn’t pondering much about the past anymore but instead eyes the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo. Unfortunately, her condition wasn’t strong enough to participate in the?Beijing Winter Olympics?last year.?“I mean realistically if I can find the passion that I’ve always had for skiing”, she said about her comeback.

However, Merryweather isn’t looking to rush things. She is taking her time to examine and consider her physical health before putting on her ski boots, skis, helmet, and goggles. With all the time in the world, Merryweather has enough chances to get back out and bring glory to her name.

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