Kirsty Muir interview: I made podium in ski final – with a torn ACL
With one run to go in a Freeski Big Air World Cup in late 2023, Kirsty Muir decided to go for it, despite minor knee pain, and claimed a place on the podium. Two days later she discovered she had torn her anterior cruciate ligament and would be forced to spend the next year away from the slopes.
“I landed my final and third run and managed to get third, which was really cool, but then I went home and got a scan,” Muir tells Telegraph Sport from a hotel room in Geneva before this month’s Freestyle World Championships in St Moritz.
“I was already getting a shoulder MRI scan because I had a bit of an issue with that and then decided to just get my knee scanned as well to be safe.
“It was quite a shock when I found out that I had fully torn my ACL, because I just didn’t expect it – I was walking fine and doing the gym and everything totally normally. So it was just a bit of a shock.”
The following 12 months would be spent in the gym painstakingly building up to a return to the slopes. She was forced to watch her fellow athletes compete at the X Games while it took her two weeks just to be able to do a single leg lift. It would be another four weeks before she could put weight on the injured leg properly, as life became all about the “small wins”.
Speaking from her hotel lobby after encountering WiFi problems, she admits: “I am very much an adrenalin seeker and I need something fun all the time so it was quite difficult to take a step back and just stop and stuff, so that was difficult but I just told myself that was part of it and I’d be back to doing it soon. Luckily I did find ways during the rehab to still find some fun, but it was difficult to not ski for a year.”
Talking about her extensive recovery, Muir believes she has to be even stronger than she was previously in order to try to prevent a similar injury occurring in future.
Returning to the slopes was always the goal and recalling how she felt when that was finally a reality, Muir grins as she says: “It was so so good, honestly, I just had the biggest smile on my face.
“It was so fun. I still had to build a bit more strength in my hamstring so we did just two weeks of normal skiing, just drills and feeling it out.”
After going home to build more hamstring strength, Muir could finally return to the snow park, which she describes as “the best thing ever”.
When asked if the return made her feel like a kid again, she responds: “Honestly I couldn’t have been happier at that time, it was just so good.”
From when she was a small child following her brother down the slopes of Glenshee and The Lecht in her native Scotland, skiing has been a central part of Muir’s life.
Aged 11, she enjoyed a first trip to the snow parks in the mountains having had to “make the most of every opportunity” to travel because of the high cost, as Scotland’s diminishing snow makes it difficult to do sufficient slope training. Instead, Muir uncovered her skill largely on the dry slopes at home during her formative years.
It was in 2022 that Muir burst on to the scene when she became Team GB’s youngest competitor at the Beijing Winter Olympics, then aged just 17. She reached the final of both the freestyle and Big Air events, finishing fifth in the latter.
Reflecting back on the Covid-hit Games now, three years on and only one year away from the next one, she says: “I was quite young and in a bit of awe at the whole situation.
“I mean it was quite a weird one everyone said because of Covid and not having any family there or anything, which was kind of crazy, so I’m excited for this one [in 2026] because they’re all planning to come out and watch so that’ll be pretty cool.”
Muir plays down her podium prospects at the World Championships in St Moritz, saying she has not got her “biggest tricks back yet”, but she has impressed in recent tournaments, notably winning her first World Cup title in the slopestyle event on Friday in Tignes, France.
“Going back to competitions was so good. We went into the first one with no pressure, just go and have a good time, see everyone and just get a feeling for it and stuff. I was super stoked to make the finals in my first one back, I just didn’t expect it,” she says.
“Since then, in each competition, I’ve just been progressing a bit more my tricks and also just getting used to it again and it’s been good.”
For the next Olympics, however, Muir wants to have the chance at a medal, and will spend some of the summer in Australia and New Zealand before the winter season in Europe starts, with a focus on Milan-Cortina in February 2026.
-
‘Painting was my final act of defiance’: how a chef from war-torn Eritrea wowed the art world after his death
Ficre Ghebreyesus, who died in 2012, made vertiginous paintings celebrating family, the diaspora and his own turbulent story. His first European solo exhibition charts this remarkable journey. What ...The Guardian - 2d -
Extended interview: Lindsey Vonn on her return to competitive skiing
In this web exclusive, Olympic downhill skier Lindsey Vonn discusses the reasons behind getting a knee replacement; what she discovered about herself upon retirement; the preparations necessary ...CBS News - 5d -
Women’s college basketball debate: Who will earn the NCAA Tournament final No. 1 seed?
The Athletic Sabreena Merchant: Over the last seven NCAA Tournaments (what I would consider the current era after UConn’s four-peat), at least two No. 1 seeds have made the Final Four every year. ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Dest 'immensely happy' after return from ACL tear
Sergiño Dest made his long-awaited return from a serious knee injury in PSV Eindhoven's 2-1 win over Heerenveen in the Dutch Eredivisie on Saturday.ESPN - 5d -
‘The Interview’: Lady Gaga’s Latest Experiment? Happiness.
The pop superstar reflects on her struggles with mental health, the pressures of the music industry and why she’s returned to the sound that made her famous.The New York Times - 6d -
'Grief made me start hoarding - I slept in bed stacked with boxes'
Jayne started to hoard to cope with the grief after her husband died, now she's getting help.BBC News - 4d -
Trump made clear ‘Elon Musk is your partner’ in Cabinet meeting, says Commerce secretary
In an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick says that President Trump made clear to his Cabinet that Elon Musk is “a partner” in deciding who and what will be cut ...NBC News - 5d -
Shiffrin finishes third to set WC podiums record
Mikaela Shiffrin set an all-time World Cup record Sunday with her 156th podium finish though she let victory slip away in a slalom.ESPN - 5d -
The one change that worked: I committed to therapy – and began to chip away at my grief and depression
When my mother died, my mental health fell into decline. I tried everything from CBT to mindfulness, until one day something finally shifted. I used to think I was great at therapy. From 17 to 23, ...The Guardian - 4d
More from Yahoo Sports
-
Cardinals sign WR Simi Fehoko to a one-year deal
The Cardinals signed wide receiver Simi Fehoko to a one-year deal, the team announced Friday.Yahoo Sports - 8m -
NL West season preview: Can anyone top the Dodgers? Will the Padres, Giants or D-backs reach the playoffs?
With the season-opening Tokyo Series just around the corner, let's take stock of the National League West.Yahoo Sports - 10m -
Duke's Cooper Flagg out vs. UNC in ACC tournament semifinal after ankle sprain
Will the NBA's likely No. 1 pick be ready for March Madness?Yahoo Sports - 10m -
No. 1 Duke rules out Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown with injuries for ACC semifinal vs. UNC
Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown have been ruled out for No. 1 Duke's game against North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Friday night because of injuries. Both players were ...Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Can Steph Curry get to 5,000 3-pointers? The numbers say it's possible
Stephen Curry just hit 4,000 made 3-pointers for his career. Getting to 5,000 is possible.Yahoo Sports - 13m
More in Sports
-
Cardinals sign WR Simi Fehoko to a one-year deal
The Cardinals signed wide receiver Simi Fehoko to a one-year deal, the team announced Friday.Yahoo Sports - 8m -
NL West season preview: Can anyone top the Dodgers? Will the Padres, Giants or D-backs reach the playoffs?
With the season-opening Tokyo Series just around the corner, let's take stock of the National League West.Yahoo Sports - 10m -
Duke's Cooper Flagg out vs. UNC in ACC tournament semifinal after ankle sprain
Will the NBA's likely No. 1 pick be ready for March Madness?Yahoo Sports - 10m -
No. 1 Duke rules out Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown with injuries for ACC semifinal vs. UNC
Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown have been ruled out for No. 1 Duke's game against North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Friday night because of injuries. Both players were ...Yahoo Sports - 11m -
Can Steph Curry get to 5,000 3-pointers? The numbers say it's possible
Stephen Curry just hit 4,000 made 3-pointers for his career. Getting to 5,000 is possible.Yahoo Sports - 13m