Great concern for overall World Cup winner: Alpine skiing star taken to hospital by helicopter after horror crash
Bellamonte (Italy) - Great concern for the current winner of the overall Alpine Skiing World Cup : Federica Brignone (34) crashed heavily on Thursday in the giant slalom of the Italian Championships.
As video footage from the"Gazzetta dello Sport" shows, the 2023 combined world champion hit a blue gate and then even rolled over.
She initially lay motionless, and marshals immediately rushed to the accident victim. She was initially taken away on a sled, but was then flown by helicopter to Santa Chiara Hospital in Trento.
She was accompanied by her brother Davide. As the newspaper reports, a serious injury to her legs is suspected. A ligament injury in the knees or even the shins is suspected.
The Italian Ski Federation wants to wait for the first examinations before commenting on the condition of the Italian figurehead.
Will the fall destroy Federica Brignone's Olympic dream?
The serious fall is dramatic in two respects: not only because the season was actually over and Brignone wanted to round it off at the national title competitions.
But above all because the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina are less than a year away (February 6 to 22, 2026).
If Brignone really is seriously injured, her Olympic dream and what could have been the crowning glory of her career could be shattered ten months before the start of the event.
The alpine skiing circus has been rocked by numerous horror crashes this winter. The worst victim was Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin (30), who suffered a brain haemorrhage and was put into an induced coma.
Czech skier Tereza Nova (27) was also in a coma after her fall.