Sawt Falasteen - Italy reels from Brignone broken leg with Winter Olympics looming

Since returning from Sun Valley where she won the World Cup overall title for the second time, 34-year-old Brignone has been the toast of Italy.

A ski slope now even bears her name in the resort of Courmayeur near her family chalet in La Salle, in the Aosta Valley near Mont Blanc.

Brignone has been relatively unscathed in a blessed career but while competing in one of her last races of the winter she suffered a heavy fall in the Alpe Lussia ski area in Val di Fassa in north-eastern Italy.

After several wild somersaults with both skis flying off she was helped to the sidelines and taken down the mountain on a sled before being taken to hospital by helicopter.

After the double fracture was diagnosed she was then transferred to a Milan clinic to establish a surgery programme.

Her compatriot and great rival Sofia Goggia, who suffered a double fracture in February 2024, took six months to get back on skis.

Brignone dominated the 2024-25 season on the women's circuit, winning 10 races, her second overall World Cup title and the giant slalom and downhill small crystal globes.

She also won the world championship gold medal in the giant slalom and a super-G silver in Saalbach.

On Thursday, she was leading from the first run but hit a gate on the second run, falling awkwardly.

The skier from Val d'Aosta has won three Olympic medals but never a gold and is one of Italy's strongest medal chances at the 2026 Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

All winter, her helmet, painted with a tiger's head, led the way.

"It's an animal that never gives up, that, even when injured, gets back up and tries to fight to the end," she said.

I.Saadi--SF-PST