Federica Brignone must work her way back step by step after her serious injury. © APA / SEAN M. HAFFEY

Brignone puts the brakes on: Olympia “is far away”

Federica Brignone has taken a first look ahead after the serious injury she sustained at the Italian Championships in early April. She also spoke about her potential participation in the Olympic Games, which she considers "far away."

14 April 2025

From: never

Step by step – that's Federica Brignone's motto. It's hardly a miracle, but her list of injuries is long: a comminuted fracture of the left tibial head, a fracture of the left fibula, damage to the lateral ligament in her left knee, and a torn cruciate ligament. Her big goals for the Olympic Games on home soil have therefore been put on hold for the time being.

"A return to the slopes will only be possible after four or five months," Brignone explained on Monday during the media day of the Italian Winter Sports Federation (FISI). "I don't know the recovery time, the doctors don't know. An X-ray will be done 45 days after the accident, and then we'll see how things develop." At least she was able to share some good news: "I'm starting physiotherapy today."

Brignone thinks about the Olympic Games, but...

After two world championship titles and two major crystal globes, Brignone is missing only one thing in her trophy cabinet: an Olympic gold medal. How is this dream coming true? "The thought of the Olympic Games is there, but it's far away; I'm focused on something else," says the 34-year-old. "First, I have to work step by step, get healthy and heal, and think about running again."

"It's not nice what happened, but it happened. There's no point in thinking negatively." Federico Brignone

Brignone doesn't waste any time thinking about the circumstances of the injury. "It's not nice what happened, but it happened. There's no point in thinking negatively," she emphasized. Only looking forward counts. "Today we started working out, I did some exercises—and I'm getting a little better every day. I'm not pretending I'm not in pain; I thought it would be much worse. I'm super positive."