Ten months before a home Olympics, Federica Brignone, the newly crowned overall World Cup skiing champion, shattered several bones in her left leg in a massive slalom fall at the Italian championships on Thursday, bringing an abrupt end to her celebrations.
At the Lusia ski slope in Val di Fassa, Brignone was leading the race. However, during her second run, she lost control and crashed through a gate, which caused her to tumble and crash through the next gate. She was transported to a Trento hospital via helicopter.
According to the Italian Winter Sports Federation, Brignone was diagnosed with several fractures in her fibula and tibial plateau. It further stated that she would be sent to a Milanese hospital “to establish a timeline for surgery and to complete X-ray exams.”
Brignone won 10 World Cup events this season in three separate disciplines (three super-Gs, two downhills, and five giant slaloms). Brignone also won the giant slalom at the world championships in February.
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Her first-ever World Cup victory occurred in a super-G on the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina, which will host women’s skiing in the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February.
Brignone is anticipated to be one of the Milan-Cortina Games’ home stars. The 34-year-old Italian, however, is in a race to be better in time.
Setting a timeline for Brignone’s potential return was still premature. She became the oldest woman to win a World Cup race this season.
