Sawt Falasteen - Swiss Super-G Olympic champion Gut-Behrami out of Winter Games

Gut-Behrami ruptured knee ligaments while training in the United States a week ago and has left the door open to making a u-turn on her decision to retire at the end of the season.

The 34-year-old had been a leading contender for the Games in Milan-Cortina, running between February 6 and 22.

"I had a totally different idea for the coming months and I was looking forward to this season," Gut-Behrami said in the federation's statement.

"For now, my goal is to recover from this injury and regain all my physical ability.

"Only then will I know what the future holds for me," she added.

Gut-Behrami, who won gold in Beijing three years ago, sustained the injury in Copper Mountain, Colorado, last Thursday after catching a gate with her hand on a bump before rolling over.

Last season Gut-Behrami, whose mother is Italian, finished second overall in the World Cup overall standings to Italy's Federica Brignone last season.

Brignone is struggling to make the Games on home snow. She suffered a double fracture of her left tibia and fibula in April and has not yet returned to skiing.

Gut-Behrami had high hopes of success on the Olympic slopes of Cortina where she had already secured two world titles in 2021 -- in giant slalom and Super-G -- as well as four World Cup victories.

After a flawless summer preparation, the Lugano native began her season with a third-place finish in late October in the Solden giant slalom, marking her 101st World Cup podium.

"The Winter Olympics, held in her second homeland, Italy, were the last major goal of Lara's career. This injury is all the more bitter," Switzerland women's alpine skiing head coach Beat Tschuor said.

"We all hope the surgery and recovery will go as well as possible and she will regain optimal form, whether to continue her career or to lead a pain-free life after high-level sports.

"Her absence will be deeply felt, as in addition to her role as an athlete, Lara will be missed by the team as a person during this Olympic season," he added.

K.AbuTaha--SF-PST