Italian ski racer Federica Brignone has returned to snow for the first time since suffering a devastating leg fracture in April, nearly eight months, or 237 days ago. The 2024-25 season Overall World Cup title winner took her first tentative laps this week. The Italian Ski Federation (FISI) shared a video of her comeback to on-snow training on YouTube.
On April 3, during the second run of the giant slalom at the Italian national championships, Brignone crashed hard, suffering a comminuted fracture of the tibial plateau and fibular head in her left leg—injuries that required immediate surgery and months of rehabilitation. Medical staff also flagged ligament damage, compounding the severity of her recovery.
Following surgery in Milan, Italy, Brignone spent weeks at the Juventus J-Medical clinic in Turin, Italy, before beginning physiotherapy and strength work. She acknowledged early on that recovery would be tough and slow.
On Wednesday, November 26, Brignone finally returned to the slopes, skiing under the supervision of federal technicians. FISI noted that this marks the first phase of what remains a long and careful rehabilitation plan—alternating gym strength sessions with gradual on-snow training.
With the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina less than 80 days away, her return to racing is still not certain, but the most important first step was taken today.
