A female skier has ended her career. © Instagram

The dream is over: Sentimental ski retirement in Italy

In the midst of preparations for the new ski season, a career end has been announced in Italy. His career had started so promisingly.

September 10, 2026

From: det

It was in January 2023 when a young Italian woman caused quite a stir at the Junior World Championships in St. Anton am Arlberg. Alice Calaba from the Aosta Valley won two medals: bronze in the giant slalom and bronze in the team combined – a promising talent seemed to be emerging.

But just a few weeks later, Calaba suffered a serious setback. She crashed and tore her cruciate ligament in her knee. It would take two and a half years (or until December 2025) before she returned to racing. However, the 24-year-old was no longer on the national team, had to fight her way back on her own – and has now announced her retirement.

“Skiing was my world.” Alice Calaba

“Through skiing, I was able to get to know myself better and better. I experienced so many moments while chasing my goals, overcame more difficulties than I ever could have imagined, and shared travel, training, disappointments, countless fits of laughter, tears, outbursts, as well as small and big successes. All of this enriched me profoundly,” Calaba wrote in her farewell message on Instagram. Skiing was “my world, my childhood dream, my everyday life,” the Aosta native added.

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A post shared by Alice Calaba (@calabina)

During her career, Calaba competed in a total of 33 European Cup races. Her greatest success, however, was winning two medals at the Junior World Championships. Now, the young Italian's skiing career is coming to an end.