Petra Vlhova Returns to On-Snow Training 7 Months After Knee Injury

Ski racer Petra Vlhova has returned to on-snow training seven months after her horrific knee injury. The Slovakian tech specialist had skidded out mid-way on the course during the Giant Slalom in Jasna, Slovakia, in January 2024 and shot into the B-nets. Vlhova tore both her ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial cruciate ligament) of her right knee in the accident. At the time, Vlhova was only 25 points behind Mikaela Shiffrin in the Slalom standings, but her accident ended her season prematurely.

• Related: Triumphs, Upsets, And Season-Ending Injuries at the Women’s Giant Slalom World Cup in Jasna, Slovakia 

Vlhova shared a video of herself freeskiing at the Matterhorn Ski Paradise in Zermatt, Switzerland. From here, the Slovakian ski racer moved to gate training at Saas-Fee, Switzerland, since Zermatt does not allow elite athletes to train at its resort this summer. If this first training session goes well, Vlhova will move on to Ushuaia, Argentina, in mid-September in order to get ready for the 24/25 World Cup season.

Petra Vlhova is Mikaela Shiffrin’s biggest rival in Slalom skiing. She has four FIS World Cup season discipline titles to her name and one overall season title from the 2020-21 season. She also is the defending Olympic champion in Slalom skiing and won the 2017 World Championship in Giant Slalom in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

 

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