“Pain every day”
World champion will probably miss the Olympics
October 19, 2025 – 8:45 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
She dominated the World Cup last season. Nevertheless, the Olympic Games probably come too soon for Federica Brignone after her injury.
The road back to the slopes is long for Federica Brignone – perhaps too long for the upcoming Olympic Games. A start in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in 2026 currently seems a long way off for the Italian.
“I think it will be impossible for me to get back into competition before January or right before the Olympics,” Brignone told AFP on the sidelines of a media event in Milan.
The 35-year-old was seriously injured at the Italian championships in April. She suffered a fractured tibia and fibula as well as a torn cruciate ligament in her left leg. She hasn’t been back on skis since then; instead, she continues to be in pain “every day,” said Brignone.
Brignone underwent two operations, spends “five to seven hours” in physical therapy every day and works “just to recover from the injury. And that means that I work really hard, because otherwise I would have one leg that has a completely different shape than the other.”
Brignone dominated the World Cup last season and secured the big crystal globe and the overall ranking in the downhill and giant slalom with a total of ten victories. At the World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm she won gold in the giant slalom and silver in the super-G. The Milan native is still missing Olympic gold from her collection. The new World Cup season begins next week in Sölden, Austria.