The signs are not ideal for Fanny Smith ahead of her fifth Olympic Games. The 33-year-old from the canton of Vaud is plagued by back pain.
30.01.2026, 05:00
30.01.2026, 07:26
SDA
Fanny Smith has a stroke of luck. As the ski cross competition takes place on Friday, February 20, and therefore on the third-last day of the Olympic Games, the French-speaking Swiss athlete has more time to recover. In addition to the ailments that have plagued her since last summer, she had to contend with a blocked back at the recent World Cup races in Veysonnaz.
Ninth in the race on Friday, she explained that she had severe back pain before the quarter-final. She therefore logically decided not to compete on Saturday. She will also skip the last competition before the Olympic Games in Val di Fassa at the weekend.
Adjustments necessary
Before the races in Veysonnaz, when her back was not yet blocked, the skier from Vaud answered questions from journalists. In particular, she talked about what has been holding her back since the summer, but without going into too much detail. The reigning world champion, who has twice won bronze at the Olympic Games, spoke of a different preparation, in which "everything to do with bending is very complicated". This has forced her to rethink her entire physical preparation. "I focus mentally on what my coaches tell me. I'm more or less in shape."
In pre-season, she was not able to do jumps or agility exercises as usual. "We had to adapt and do more mundane exercises," says Smith. "It's quite difficult for me mentally because I know that what I've done for so many years works. And now we've had to rethink it a bit and I haven't been able to train my explosiveness." With four podiums in six races this season, Fanny Smith has proven that she can put the physical ailments to one side on the track.
16 years at the top
She will do the same in Livigno, where she will have the support of the Swiss public and her family. "At the end of the day, the Games only last one day for us," says Smith. "So these five participations in the Olympics are ultimately five days of competition. That's actually quite short considering you train for years for it."
After 2010 and her first Olympic Games in Vancouver, could she have imagined that 16 years later she would still be one of the best? "If someone had told me that, I simply wouldn't have believed it. This career, this longevity: it's crazy to still be around and competing to win. It's pretty extraordinary to see that this crazy bet we made back then worked out in the end."
Test runs in Livigno
In Livigno, Fanny Smith hopes that it will "work" again. No one has been able to test the slope yet. When the Swiss set up their training camp in St. Moritz in November, they made a detour to check out the snow-free slope and the surroundings (hotel, ski room, etc.). "I've always liked new events and new World Cup disciplines," says Smith. "I've always liked change."
There will be a two-day test event in Livigno before the Olympic Games. It is not yet clear how many runs the athletes will be allowed to complete. "But even if it's only two per day, that's already four runs," says the athlete from Vaud. "That's a lot more than the World Cup. We'll also be training two days before the competition. That's almost too much training for me." Ultimately, there are still many unanswered questions that Fanny Smith would like to answer on day X on the slopes.
