Fall after winning the overall World Cup
Ski star shocked by his own injury: “What the hell”?
October 30, 2025 – 12:35 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Federica Brignone is one of the best in her sport – and was aware of it. However, a serious fall makes the ski racer think differently.
Federica Brignone has recently been the measure of all things in alpine skiing. The Italian actually wanted to complete her overall World Cup success last season with the Italian championship title. But nothing came of it because the 35-year-old fell badly. The Italian suffered a torn cruciate ligament and several broken bones in March.
Brignone now revealed to the Norwegian broadcaster NRK that her own injury had worried her. Accordingly, she was shocked by her own injury in the hospital the day after the accident: “What the hell happened? I didn’t think it was that bad.” Since then, the ski ace has been working on a comeback. But the way back to the slopes is not easy. And it wasn’t immediately the Italian’s top priority.
Why? “For me it wasn’t entirely certain that I would return to a normal life, so I’m just happy that everything went so well. That’s the most important thing.” When asked by an NRK journalist whether there were doubts that Brignone would ever be able to walk again, she said: “It wasn’t certain.”
Brignone is now back on her bike again, as she shows on Instagram. However, her fall also sparked discussions about safety in skiing because it was one of several.
The driver, who is known for her good mood and was never afraid to take risks, misses her competition. World Cup record holder Michaela Shiffrin recently said: “It’s strange not seeing her at the start. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the training goes well and she gets completely healthy again. I really hope we’ll see her at the start.”
The Olympic Games take place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in February. A goal and also a dream for Brignone? She doesn’t know whether she can take part. “It’s something I want, but it’s not the goal of my life,” said the Italian. She now wants to get back to the level she was at before her fall.