'I just need to believe' - Results since return from injury encourage Muir

Winter Olympic freestyle skier Kirsty Muir says her results since she came back from a long-term injury show she can challenge for the sport's biggest prizes, adding: "I just need to believe that."

The 20-year-old Scot recently returned from a knee injury, which sidelined her for almost a year.

And she is back with a bang, winning her first World Cup competition in France earlier this month.

She followed that with a solid sixth-placed finish in the ski slopestyle event at the FIS Freeski World Championships in Switzerland at the weekend.

It is hugely encouraging with next year's Winter Olympics in Italy on the horizon.

"Each event is a different event but obviously it just helps me out a little bit, it just shows me that I really can do it and I just need to believe that," Muir told BBC Scotland.

"The competition mindset came [back] quite easily but it was almost like I was thinking too far ahead sometimes, I was trying to think about the end result of what I wanted and then that would then affect my skiing so we were just bringing it back, being in the moment, me and the course.

"I want to do the best I can in my run and not think about anyone else or any other thing, so that is one thing we have been doing, my coaches have been trying to get me back to the present moment and focus on what I am doing.

"They have been really good with that and just supporting me and making me believe that I can do all these tricks and stuff, so there is a lot of support from them."

Muir will also compete in the big air event at the World Championships later this week and the Aberdonian admits to being surprised at how well she has done after such a long spell out.

"Yes, definitely," she said. "Even the first couple of competitions we went in with no expectations or pressure and I managed to make finals, which was really cool.

"Since then each competition I have been progressing more in my own skiing and my tricks and that has kind of been shown through my results too, so yes, overall very happy with it.

"We worked really hard last year, it was all worth it, that is what was helping me through the rehab was thinking to these moments when I knew I would be having a great time. I am back here and very happy about it."

Muir was the youngest member of Team GB at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, where she made the finals in both the women's slopestyle and big air events.

And she has returned to the snow with a greater appreciation for being able to do what she loves.

"I never expected to have such a long time off skiing because it is my main thing in my life that I love doing, so I think overall I definitely appreciate it more," she added. "Time off makes it even more special.

"Even my coach when [the injury] first happened was joking, 'Kirsty Muir 2.0 incoming', but we will keep that as the idea maybe.

"Overall I am just enjoying everything."