"What is wrong with you?" -Mikaela Shiffrin opens up about her lowest moments during rehabilitation after devastating crash

Mikaela Shiffrin talked about her mental struggles during her rehabilitation period after her giant slalom crash in Killington in November 2024. She capped the 2024-25 season with 101 wins, the most for an alpine skier, men or women.

Shiffrin was in pursuit of her 100th World Cup win when she faced a harrowing crash in Killington, suffering an abdominal puncture. She underwent surgery to remove an old hematoma from the wound and was sidelined from the sport for two months. During her rehabilitation period, the 101-time World Cup winner prepared physically for her return, while also trying to come to terms with the mental challenges.

Sharing her story with The Players Tribune, the Colorado native revealed that there were low days when she didn't know what to do after stepping out on the snow. She also second-guessed herself and tried to make herself understand that people go through tougher fates.

"I can admit that there were some extremely low moments. Times when I started second-guessing myself, or was critical of myself because I felt like I was letting what happened mess with me so much. It was like: Come on, Mikaela, people have had way worse crashes than that, way worse injuries. Those people got through it. What is wrong with you?"

She added:

"On particularly bad days, I’d question my motivation, or whether I still wanted to do this anymore. In my head, I’d be saying to myself: You know what, I kind of couldn’t care less if I ever race again."

Shiffrin returned to the competition at the World Championships, partnering with Breezy Johnson in the team combined event and winning it.

Mikaela Shiffrin shares her workout regimen as she heads to the 2025-26 World Cup and the Olympics

Mikaela Shiffrin at the Team USA Photo Shoot - (Source: Getty)

Mikaela Shiffrin made a dominant return, extending her wins to 101 in the 2024-25 season. Considering her age, the 30-year-old has a couple of things to keep in mind during workouts, especially being easy on the back and hips, before moving on to strength training.

Sharing her workout regimen with Women's Health Magazine, Shiffrin said:

"I workout six days a week, four to eight hours per day. As I get older, I have to work with the way that my body grows. Over time, my back has become a little bit more of an issue for me, so I have to be a little bit more aware of that. I do a lot more single leg work than double leg work, and I'm always aware of hip mobility and function before I go into heavy strength work."

Mikaela Shiffrin started the 'MIK100 Reset the Sport' campaign to help youth with snowboarding and skiing programs. She and her team recently raised $490,000, heading to the $500,000 milestone.