Major shock: Season over for up-and-coming Austrian player

For Magdalena Egger, the season has come to an early end after the serious crash in the downhill race in Zauchensee.

10 January 2026

From: apa

The Vorarlberg native suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a partial tear of the lateral collateral ligament, and a contusion of the lateral meniscus in her right knee on Saturday. The 24-year-old will undergo surgery at the Kettenbrücke Clinic in Innsbruck, as announced by the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV). Egger reached her first World Cup podium in December, finishing second in the downhill race in St. Moritz.

Egger initially wanted to ski to the finish line herself, but realized while putting on her skis that this was impossible. She was airlifted from the racecourse by helicopter and taken to Radstadt Hospital for an MRI scan, where the diagnosis was made.

Magdalena Egger has been seriously injured. © APA / EXPA/ JOHANN GRODER

For Austria's women's alpine ski team, this is already the second bitter setback in the still young new year, following the injury of technical specialist Katharina Liensberger. The Vorarlberg native suffered a fractured tibial plateau, a torn meniscus, and a torn medial collateral ligament in her right knee during a training fall on January 2nd in St. Michael/Lungau. This injury, like Egger's, dashed her Olympic dreams.

Assinger is struggling

"This really hurts, because Magdalena has had good results and presented herself well. Especially considering what's coming up in February," said ÖSV women's head coach Roland Assinger. WATER"She wasn't positioned well, a bit sloppy with her outside ski, then it bit into the fresh snow. Or rather, the ski develops a certain independence when you don't put any weight on it. Then she fell, touched the gate and then the net," he described the accident.

Keywords Winter sports Alpine skiing Magdalena Egger Injury