Sometimes we don’t realize that also the strongest people might go through periods of darkness, like the sport’s dominating alpine skier, Mikaela Shiffrin.
The 28-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin was born in Colorado, in 1995. She was raised by her supportive family and it is thanks to her parents that Mikaela started her career as a professional alpine skier. In 2018/19, just at the age of 22, the blond and bold American athlete participated in 80 World Cup races and won 30 of them. With these records Mikaela was able to shock her family but also the entire world. After continuing her amazing career, Mikaela won a total of 95 World Cup victories, two gold and a silver Olympic medal.
In February 2020 Shiffrin’s father, Jeff Shiffrin, died due to a brutal accident at home in Colorado. Jeff Shiffrin was Mikaela’s number-one fan and supporter. He stood by her side and developed specific workout and training methods while teaching her how to cope with emotions and anxiety during races, to help her daughter in her career. After his death Mikaela went through a long period of depression, trying to cope with her loss. Even when she won a race, she couldn’t feel the joy that she felt before when her dad was still alive: “I was just like, ‘Well, Dad’s supposed to be there, and he’s not’”, explained Shiffrin in an interview.
A recent study by “Psychiatric Times” shows that 24% of people develop depression after only two months from a loss. It takes the biggest courage to wake up each day and face a loss but it is essential to seek help and not close in on yourself. As Shiffrin explains: “ I thank the team for continuing to pick up my pieces daily for the last two years, and for giving me the wonderful gift to simply keep trying”.