Olympic skier Rowan Cheshire retires five years after suffering severe concussion
- 21.02.2020
- JessicaMG
- Personal-injury, Personal-injury
British Olympic freestyle skier Rowan Cheshire has announced her retirement, saying her "body and mind just can't keep up with the pace", five years after she suffered a severe concussion.
Rowan suffered a nightmare crash just before the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics which left her with a broken nose and a severe concussion. She was unable to compete at the games following the incident, but went on to finish seventh in the halfpipe four years later at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympics.
"I feel so privileged to have spent the last nine years pursuing the crazy sport that I love," she said.
"But my body and mind just can't keep up with the pace of it anymore and I have enjoyed exploring different avenues this year during my rehabilitation."
Since the 2018 Olympics, Rowan has spoken out about the effects the concussion had on both her mental health and her passion for competitive extreme sport. She said:
"The synergy between your body and mind, particularly when competing in professional sport, has to be seamless.
"For me, that has been the most interesting part of this decision - my body might be fit enough now, but is my mind up to the task?"