The best female skier of the past World Cup winter, Federica Brignone, has had a serious fall at the Italian championships. The 34-year-old was taken to hospital by helicopter and now requires surgery.
Scary moments for Federica Brignone: the Italian ski queen, who won World Championship gold in the giant slalom in Saalbach in 2025 and won the overall World Cup for the second time just a few days ago, crashed at the Italian giant slalom championships on Alpe Lusia (Val di Fassa).
The 34-year-old hung up on a gate, twisted and hit the piste hard as a result. The Italian was immediately given first aid and flown by helicopter to hospital in Trento.
According to the Italian newspaper "Repubblica", the 34-year-old suffered a multi-fragment fracture of the tibial plateau and the head of the fibula. It was decided to transfer her to the "La Madonnina" clinic in Milan for surgery.
Olympic start in danger?
Brignone dominated the World Cup season with ten victories. In addition to the overall World Cup, she also won the crystal globes in the downhill and giant slalom. At the World Championships, she won gold (giant slalom) and silver (super-G).
Brignone is considered a promising medal contender for Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in northern Italy. It is not yet known how long she will be out of action after the serious fall. The Winter Games will take place from February 6 to 22, 2026.
