At just 17, Kirsty Muir was Team GB’s youngest athlete at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Four years on, the freestyle skier competed in her second Winter Olympics after recovering from a serious knee injury and shoulder surgery.
After a number of impressive results, including her first X Games gold two weeks before the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Kirsty finished up her season with the Crystal Globe, the coveted prize given to World Cup winners, making her the first British woman to win World Cup titles in both freeski slopestyle and over all park and pipe.
These achievements cap her most successful season to date, just weeks after the disappointment of narrowly missing two bronze medals at Milano Cortina — just 0.41 of a point was the difference between bronze and fourth place in the slopestyle.
After the challenge of recovering from long term injuries and placing fourth twice in Italy Kirsty said:
“It was a super wild season! We had the Olympics at the forefront, but I had all the World Cups, and X Games to focus on as well, and in the end, it was my best season and I was just having so much fun as well, which made it all more worth it.”
On track to Milano Cortina
Kirsty receives year-round support from sportscotland institute of sport staff, with regular access to a wide range of performance services including physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, psychology, nutrition, physiology, and more.
The ‘team behind the team’ provides dedicated support and includes a network of family, friends, coaches, clubs, and communities, reinforced by governing bodies and the expertise of the sportscotland institute of sport, underpinned by investment from the Scottish Government and the National Lottery.
Kelly Horne, Lead Physiotherapist for the Snowsports programme forms a key part of the day-to-day sportscotland institute of sport support team for Kirsty.
Kelly said, “We have a great established network of support for Kirsty. We’ve worked with her from a young age, which brings consistency - essential to having a successful relationship.
“I do travel with Kirsty, but my main job is to co-ordinate with the governing body and local providers to make sure she gets the best care possible. I’ll help with goal setting and planning, and while she is away, I keep an eye on what she is doing. For example, nutritional support, physio requirements and competition timelines.”
Kelly was Team GB’s Head Physiotherapist at Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games, bringing extensive Games experience from previous roles with Team GB and Team Scotland. In total, seven sportscotland staff joined colleagues at Team GB and ParalympicsGB as part of the support team for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.
No risk, no reward
Kirsty’s Snowsport disciplines are not for the faint hearted, with big air jumps, turns and the high impact nature of the sport bringing significant risk.
The ongoing relationship between Kirsty and her support team helps her to maximise and optimise physical training, prevent injury, and perform at the highest level in her sport.
Reflecting on the support received from sportscotland institute of sport, Kirsty said, “The big one for me is the gym and physio support because my sport is pretty risky. It comes with quite a lot of injuries, so I've been helped so much. Also, the mental support, it's just everything that I need to be a better athlete.”
She added, “I can also talk to a sports psychologist which really does help. My sport is very psychological and there's a lot of times that you need to push through your own barriers and overcome fears. Especially after injury setbacks or when you’ve not been skiing for a while. I've got to take all the steps back to getting back to my level and that's where it really does help.”
In January 2024, Kirsty had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate followed by an operation on her shoulder in March of that year, the result of which was almost a year out at a crucial point ahead of the Winter Olympics.
Kirsty said, “It is more of an extreme sport and there are risks that come with it, but you just have to accept those. The rehabilitation was the longest I’ve ever been through and it was a difficult period for me, but I was down at the institute of sport five days a week and they were all very supportive and helped get me back on track.”
Kelly played an important role in Kirsty’s comeback to competition, she said, “There's a lot of work that goes into Snowsports and over the years we've gathered lots of data, and we know what's enough and what's not enough. Athletes can get big injuries every now and then, so each year we profile them and work out what things we need to work on, to try and get them safely back on the snow.”
Building on success
As Kirsty continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in the sport, she has one eye on Olympic qualification for French Alps 2030.
Kirsty said, “It’s so important for me to be as strong and ready as I can for games like Milano Cortina but right now in the off season is where it matters the most because this is where I can build up my strength going into next season.”
She added, “I am really excited to go and try to learn some new tricks. I am excited to see where I can push myself and where I can push the sport.
Snowsports relies as much on the team behind the athlete as the athlete themselves, with everyone working together to provide the best possible support for success.
Kirsty said, “There have been a lot of highs this year but it's the joy that we have in the moment that really means the most and the support network around me plays a vital role in my success.”
Find out more
sportscotland experts set to support athletes at Milano Cortina - Sport First
The road to Milano Cortina: Kirsty Muir’s Olympic journey - Sport First
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