Tough times for a South Tyrolean ski racer.

Shoulder and heart broken: South Tyrolean woman injured

Just as the ski season is really getting into full swing, a South Tyrolean woman is sidelined by an injury: Elisa Platino. The 26-year-old tells SportNews about her serious fall, the devastating diagnosis, her suddenly changed daily routine, and how she is coping with this new situation.

11 December 2025

From: leo

When the Ski World Cup began in Sölden about a month and a half ago, Elisa Platino was also in the starting gate. However, the subsequent FIS and European Cup races took place without the skier from Obermais: During a training crash on November 25th in Pfelders, Platino suffered a fracture of the ball-and-socket joint in her upper arm. "Together with the doctors, I decided against surgery. Firstly, it's not a displaced fracture, and secondly, the procedure would be invasive and complicated," she says.

The injury came at the worst possible time. Platino was fighting to rebuild her career in the summer after being dropped from the national team, preparing for the new season with her sports group, the Carabinieri, and against all odds, she made it to Sölden. "I knew there was still a lot of training needed and that I wasn't in good shape. But when you get an opportunity like that, you naturally try to give it your all," says Platino, who was denied qualification for the second run. This only made her more determined to show a better side of herself in the upcoming races. "I had a plan for how I wanted to approach the rest of the season. But then the injury happened the day before the next race," Platino explains.

Comeback in February?

She said she had crossed her ski tips awkwardly during giant slalom training, then fell with her full weight onto her outstretched arm and subsequently crashed into the safety netting. "I hardly felt any pain at first when I hit the ground. But as the adrenaline wore off, it got worse and worse. I finally received the diagnosis in the hospital. When I heard that I would probably have to take a three-month break, I fell off my chair," she recounts.

Elisa Platino in Sölden. © Pentaphoto

According to the doctors, it will take six to eight weeks for the bone to heal. Patience is also needed for the damaged triceps tendon, as well as the injured ligaments and capsules. Patience that Platino doesn't have. "I feel empty because I'm the kind of person who can never rest. I had plans, goals, and dreams that were taken from me by the injury. Now, for the first time in my career, I have to listen to my body. I can feel myself getting tired quickly because my body needs the energy to heal," the 26-year-old reports.

"The first week was terrible." Elisa Platinum

While the skier is now feeling better, she experienced some difficult moments at the beginning. "The first week was awful because I was in a lot of pain. When that subsided, I was already thinking about skiing again and that it wouldn't be long," Platino says with a smile. "But then I realized that it's a longer process. Looking back, I'm aware that it could have been much worse. I'm now accepting the situation as a challenge and aiming for my return to snow in February." A rushed comeback is out of the question for her – in the worst-case scenario, she would risk an unstable shoulder.

Looking positively to the future

Platino, who had never previously suffered a serious skiing injury, can now dedicate her newfound free time to other things. In this respect, the injury even has its advantages. She only follows ski races peripherally. "If I get too involved, I'm not doing myself any favors," she explains.

Elisa Platino needs to take a break. © Pentaphoto

Her daily routine now consists of walks and small daily goals in her rehabilitation, which she is completing in Merano and Bolzano. Platino concludes with a laugh: "Luckily it's my left shoulder and not my right. At first, I was very clumsy with everyday things. But you get more and more adept with time."