Federica Brignone, Italy’s reigning World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, has announced she will end her 2025–26 season early. The 35-year-old will miss the remaining World Cup races in Val di Fassa (March 6–8), Åre, Sweden (March 14–15), and the season finals in Lillehammer, Norway (March 21–25).
Brignone’s decision comes after a demanding weekend in Andorra, where she placed 15th and 8th in consecutive World Cup super-G races. “I’ve demanded a lot from my body these past months,” she said. “I wanted to keep racing, but now I feel the effects. With the season nearly over, it makes sense to pause and continue the rehabilitation process properly.” Brignone’s Olympic participation had been up in the air until the very last minute following a complicated tibia fracture at the end of last season.
Her path to the Olympics has been nothing short of extraordinary. On April 3, 2025, during the Italian National Championships in Val di Fassa, Brignone crashed in the second run of the giant slalom after setting the fastest time in her opening run. She suffered multiple fractures to her left leg, including a comminuted tibial plateau fracture and a torn ACL. Brignone was airlifted to Trento before undergoing emergency surgery at Milan’s La Madonnina clinic. Surgeons stabilized her injuries with a metal plate and screws, deferring ACL repair due to extensive bone damage.
Due to the severity of the crash, Brignone rehabilitation was slow and the ski racer shared that she was feeling pain during training ahead of the 2025-26 season. Brignone did not compete in any races at the start of the season and did not return to World Cup circuit until late January 2026—just weeks before the Milan-Cortina Olympics. Despite these struggles, the flag bearer delivered historic performances at the home Olympics, winning gold in both the super-G and giant slalom. At 35 years and 7 months, she became the oldest ski racer to win Olympic gold in Alpine skiing, beating Aksel Lund Svindal’s record by about 5.5 months.
- Related: [OLYMPICS] “La Tigre” Brignone Obliterates the Giant Slalom Field to Claim 2nd Olympic Gold
Brignone says the decision to end her season reflects the physical cost of her rapid comeback. “I think I’ve asked a lot of my body over the course of these months. From the very day I got injured I dedicated all of myself to the goal of participating in the Milan-Cortina Olympics, obtaining the double result of carrying the tricolour flag and getting on the podium. I even made it on two occasions, also climbing the highest step of the podium. I tried to continue the season, but now my physique is showing me the bill. So I take advantage of the season now at the end of the line to give myself a break and then continue rehabilitation at best.”
Thankfully for fans of “La Tigre,” Brignone only announced the end of her season, making it clear that she has every intention to return to the World Cup circuit for the 2026-27 season—a remarkable feat at what will then be 36. It should give hope to Lindsey Vonn, who has suffered a similar complex tibial fracture at her crash during the Olympic downhill. Vonn made an impressive comeback to ski racing last season at age 40 and won her first World Cup race since the comeback this season at St. Moritz, Switzerland. She went on to win another downhill race and podium in three further races, before her devastating crash at the Olympics.
