With just two days to go until the 2025-26 World Cup Season Opener in Sölden, Austria, training is heating up. Unfortunately, for one ski racer the season ended before it even started: Marta Bassino broke her tibial plateau in training at the Schnalstaler Glacier/Val Senales in Italy. The 29-year-old, one of Italy’s top skiers and a favorite for the upcoming Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, is now facing an uncertain recovery timeline.
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The accident occurred on Wednesday, October 22, while Bassino was training with the women’s national team on the Leo Gurschler slope in Schnalstal/Val Senales, a popular preseason training venue for the Italian national team. According to the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI), Bassino lost control on a flat section of the course and fell, suffering a lateral fracture of the tibial plateau—a serious injury that often requires surgery and months of rehabilitation.
Medical staff from FIS were on site and were able to immediately attended to Bassino, who was transported to Meran Hospital for evaluation. Diagnostic imaging confirmed the fracture, and further medical assessments are expected in the coming days to determine the extent of ligament involvement and the appropriate treatment plan.
The injury delivers a heavy blow not only to Bassino’s World Cup campaign but also to Italy’s Olympic prospects. A World Champion in Super-G and one of the nation’s most consistent racers, Bassino was expected to be a key medal contender at Milan-Cortina 2026, just 106 days away. Bassino made her World Cup debut in March 2014 at the age of 18 and went on to win a total of seven World Cups—six in Giant Slalom and one in Downhill. She has been a cornerstone of Italy’s resurgence in women’s Alpine skiing, alongside Federica Brignone and Sofia Goggia.
Her fall comes as her fellow teammate Brignone continues her recovery from a devastating knee injury sustained in April, where she damaged her tibia, fibula, and ligaments during a national competition. Brignone had just claimed the Overall Season Crystal Globe before the fall which has put her Olympic participation in question. This leaves Italy’s women’s team—long a powerhouse in Alpine skiing—facing the Games without its two strongest Giant Slalom racers.
Neither Bassino nor FISI officials have yet commented publicly beyond confirming the injury. A full medical update and prognosis are expected later this week.
With the World Cup season set to begin Saturday, October 26, in Sölden, Bassino’s absence will be felt immediately—and her road to recovery will be closely watched as Italy holds its breath ahead of its home Olympics.
