The week was supposed to mark a triumphant finale to the most successful season of Federica Brignone’s skiing career. However, the celebrations came to an unexpected halt when the fresh World Cup overall champion sustained severe leg injuries during a giant slalom event at the Italian championships on Thursday, just ten months ahead of an Olympic Games set in her home country.
As a result of the accident, Brignone is preparing to undergo surgery, and her recovery is expected to sideline her for several months, according to Andrea Panzeri, the medical chief of the Italian Winter Sports Federation. During her second run at the competition in Val di Fassa’s Lusia ski area, Brignone was leading the race. Unfortunately, she lost control upon crashing into a gate, leading to a fall that also resulted in smashing through an adjacent gate. Subsequently, she was airlifted to a hospital in Trento.
The medical assessment revealed multiple fractures in Brignone’s left leg, specifically in her tibial plateau and fibula, as stated by the federation. She was later moved to a hospital in Milan for surgery under Panzeri’s supervision. “It’s a significant injury, but she’s robust and fortunately hasn’t had severe injuries before,” Panzeri noted. The extent of her recovery timeline remains unclear as Panzeri mentioned, “I’ll provide more details after the surgery. It’s too early to speculate about the Olympics or recovery timelines. Evaluating the fracture’s reduction will give us a clearer picture later today or tomorrow morning.”
This season, Brignone achieved remarkable success, clinching victory in ten World Cup races spanning three disciplines: five giant slaloms, three super-Gs, and two downhills, including a giant slalom win at the February world championships. Notably, at 34, she also became the oldest female athlete to clinch a World Cup race. Among her triumphs was a super-G win on the prestigious Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina, a venue slated to host women’s skiing during the Milan-Cortina Olympics next February, marking her first career win there.
“Understandably, she’s disappointed,” Panzeri expressed. “She had an exceptional season and achieved everything she set out to win. However, as often seen with iconic athletes, she possesses the resilience to bounce back.” Brignone was anticipated to be one of the standout athletes at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Games, yet her current predicament poses a challenge about whether she’ll recuperate in time. “The recovery is not going to be rapid,” Panzeri warned, paralleling his previous experiences with multiple operations on Brignone’s teammate, Sofia Goggia. “We are considering several months of rehabilitation.”