Eva Pinkelnig suffered serious injuries. © APA / BARBARA GINDL

Austrian ski jumping star seriously injured

For ski jumper Eva Pinkelnig, the dream of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo has suddenly been shattered.

September 19, 2025

From: apa

The 37-year-old from Vorarlberg suffered, among other injuries, a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during her fall at the Summer Grand Prix on the Olympic ski jump in Predazzo on Thursday, and will miss the entire season. The 2022/23 overall World Cup winner will undergo surgery on Friday.

During the examination at the Hochrum Private Clinic near Innsbruck, a tear of the medial and lateral meniscus, as well as cartilage damage, was also diagnosed. Pinkelnig had fallen in the second round of the first test competition on the new Olympic ski jump in Italy. She fell after landing on the matting jump, caught her left knee in the outrun, and remained in severe pain for several minutes. The ski jumps in Val di Fiemme were newly built for the Winter Olympics next February, and the Summer Grand Prix will serve as the first test.

Olympic dream burst

"Sometimes (Olympic) dreams burst like soap bubbles," Pinkelnig wrote in an initial reaction. The domestic World Cup record winner spoke of a new, major challenge and thanked everyone for their support. "Now, above all, I need rest for the surgery – and then all my energy for a full recovery."

Eva Pinkelnig crashed in Predazzo, of all places. © APA / GEORG HOCHMUTH

Women's head coach Thomas Diethart described the absence as a "very, very unfortunate" for the team and the athlete. "We'll have to see what the next steps are after the surgery." Florian Liegl, Austrian Ski Federation's sports director, reported that Pinkelnig was "very focused and clear-headed" on the trip to Hochrum. She was always focused on recovery. The goal, he said, was clearly to get 100 percent healthy. She will not be making any statements about her future at this time.

Treating surgeon Christian Fink reported on Friday evening that the procedure had been successful, lasting one and a half hours. "The cruciate ligament was treated, both menisci were sutured, and the cartilage fragments were removed," Fink said in an Austrian Ski Federation press release. Pinkelnig could begin initial rehabilitation measures as early as Saturday.

Open account with Olympia

With 16 individual World Cup victories, four World Cup victories with the team, and six World Championship medals (5 silver, 1 bronze), Pinkelnig, the 2023 Austrian Sportswoman of the Year, is one of the most successful ski jumpers in ÖSV history. However, Pinkelnig still has a score to settle at the Olympics. At the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, the latecomer, who only made her World Cup debut at the age of 26, finished a disappointing 20th on the normal hill in her Olympic debut and was not nominated for the mixed team.