Italian skier Federica Brignone will compete in the Crans-Montana World Cup races in Switzerland this week as part of her Olympic build-up, following a serious leg injury last year. The double World Cup champion recently finished sixth in her comeback race in Kronplatz. She described returning to competition as a major success.
Federica Brignone, the double overall World Cup champion, is set to continue her preparation for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics by participating in the Crans-Montana World Cup stop in Switzerland. The Italian Skiing Federation (FISI) announced on January 26 that Brignone will race despite sustaining double fractures to her left tibia and fibula, along with ligament damage, in April 2025. These injuries sidelined her for over nine months.
Her return to competition began last week with a sixth-place finish in the giant slalom at Kronplatz, her first race since the injury and achieved on home snow. This result signals a positive step in her recovery as the Olympics approach, starting February 6.
“It has not been easy,” Brignone said after her Kronplatz performance. She characterized her winter training as a series of body tests rather than a standard build-up, adding that simply racing again felt like “a big success.”
The Crans-Montana event includes a women's downhill on Friday, super-G on Saturday, and men's downhill on Sunday, providing Brignone further opportunities to gain momentum before the Games.