PyeongChang 2018 Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia underwent surgery for a fractured leg after a heavy fall during training, ending her season prematurely. The Italian alpine skier, who has had numerous serious injuries throughout her career, lost control of her skis during a training giant slalom in northern Italy.
The Italian Winter Sports Federation announced that Sofia Goggia underwent surgery at a hospital in Milan during which a nail was inserted into her leg, attached with seven screws, to repair the tibia and malleolus (near the ankle) bones. Sofia Goggia is another Alpine skier who fell hard in recent days after Mikaela Shiffrin, Petra Vlhova, Corinne Suter and others.
Petra Vlhova, the Olympic slalom champion who fell during her home race in Jasna, Slovakia, last month, underwent surgery today in Switzerland for torn ligaments in her right knee.
“The operation was successful”, said Petra Vlhova’s coach, Mauro Pini, adding that “the recovery is going according to plan”.
The 31-year-old Sofia Goggia leads the world cup downhill standings with 89 points ahead of Stephanie Venier (Austria). She is fourth in the super giant slalom standings and fifth in the overall World Cup standings.
Sofia Goggia also fell heavily in 2022 during a super giant slalom in Cortina d’Ampezzo and suffered multiple injuries to his left knee and leg, but was able to return in time to take the silver medal in the downhill at the Beijing Olympics 23 days later.
Last year in St Moritz, Switzerland, she won the downhill, a day after breaking two fingers on her left hand.
“I’ll be back this time too”, said Sofia Goggia before entering the operating room, according to the federation.
This latest injury comes almost exactly two years before the Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, which will begin on February 6, 2026.
Sofia Goggia finished fifth in Kronplatz last week for his best giant slalom result in more than six years. She has a total of 24 World Cup wins.
“It’s always unpleasant when an athlete gets injured”, said federation president Flavio Roda. “Sofia Goggia had a really great season. She was fast and had improved a lot in the giant slalom. It’s a real shame that she got this injury. We hope she gets over it as best she can”, added he.
