Horrific diagnosis after a bad fall: Olympic retirement for overall World Cup winner in Alpine skiing?

Milan (Italy) - The worst fears have been confirmed: The overall World Cup winner in Alpine skiing, Federica Brignone (34), suffered an extremely serious injury on Thursday. The Italian fell at the national championships in Bellamonte .

As the Italian federation announced on its website, she suffered multiple fractures to the tibial plateau and fibula in her left knee. She was initially flown by helicopter to the Santa Chiara Hospital in Trento.

After the initial diagnosis, she was transferred to "La Madonnina" hospital in Milan for further radiological examinations. A rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament was also diagnosed there in the evening.

Brignone, who had only recently won the overall World Cup for the second time in her career, had crashed badly in the second run of the giant slalom competition at the championships in the "Alpe Luisa" ski resort.

She had caught a blue gate, even rolled over as a result and initially lay motionless. Helpers immediately rushed to the scene of the accident and initially took the Italian skier off the piste on a sledge.

A helicopter then had to be requested to fly her to the Santa Chiara hospital in Trento.

There, the 34-year-old received one of the devastating diagnoses that could even mean her elimination from the Winter Olympics in her own country.

This is because the highlight (February 6 to 22, 2026) in Milan and Cortina starts in around ten months' time. For Brignone, who won gold in the giant slalom and silver in the super-G at this year's World Championships, it will be an almost hopeless battle against time.

Given the complexity of her injury, it will take a miracle for her to be able to take part in the Olympics, although she would also have to get into shape before the competitions.

Let's hope that the serious injury doesn't even end her career without the athlete wanting it to.