Tragic events don’t go down easily and often result in changed goals and aspirations. Star skier Mikaela Shiffrin faced a similar low moment in her life when her father passed away. Dr. Jeff Shiffrin, an anesthesiologist and passionate photographer, would visit his daughter’s events and capture her successes in film. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2020 due to a traumatic head injury.

A year later, in an interview with TODAY, Shiffrin opened up about her grief and how things changed. While she had been preparing for upcoming competitions, the legend almost took a drastic decision after her father’s demise.

Mikaela Shiffrin on drastic career changes and dealing with grief

Even the strongest of athletes have come face-to-face with the grief of losing a loved one. So when Mikaela Shiffrin lost her father, the sporting world came together to offer their love and condolences to the GOAT. However, a year later, Shiffrin revealed how hard the loss hit her.

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Shiffrin thought about how an athlete was supposed to care about their sport and take the necessary measures to perform well. However, she failed to do so. After her father’s demise, the athlete felt so heartbroken that she couldn’t get herself to move forward to pursue her passion. She almost decided to quit.

“She Is a Champion”: Fans Shower Mikaela Shiffrin With Love and Support After Tragic End to Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 Effort

Speaking to TODAY, Shiffrin recounted, “There was a really long time that I didn’t really feel like it was worth it to care about anything.” However, the champion slowly and steadily bounced back. Competing and getting back on track was a long journey, but Shiffrin eventually returned.

Shiffrin’s heartfelt tribute to her father

After her father’s demise, Mikaela Shiffrin gathered all her courage to pen down an honest and heartfelt tribute to her father. She confessed how terrible everything felt, when she missed her father in Italy.

A snippet from the write-up talked about how her memories of love would always be of her father. Jeff Shiffrin used to love capturing his daughter at competitions and immortalized the memories in film. And now, with new records and accolades, the star skier has set out to make her father proud.

Watch this story: Lindsey Vonn Praises 2X Gold Medalist Mikaela Shiffrin