Ski superstar Federica Brignone. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

Federica Brignone overcomes her doubts

Following the men's downhill, the next ski highlight of the Olympic Games is on Sunday: the women will crown their speed queen. The Italian team has now made a personnel decision.

February 07, 2026

From Cortina d'Ampezzo

Sofia Goggia, Nicol Delago, and Laura Pirovano were already confirmed starters for the downhill race before the Olympic Games even began. Only the last spot remained open. Elena Curtoni, Nadia Delago, and the recovered Federica Brignone were in contention. Since Saturday afternoon, it's clear: the final ticket goes to overall World Cup winner Brignone.

After her brutal crash and horrific injury in April, the Aosta native only made her comeback two weeks ago in the giant slalom at Kronplatz. The question, therefore, was: Does Brignone feel ready for the Olympic downhill yet? After the second training run on Saturday, the 35-year-old was still pondering the decision, despite a solid seventh-place finish, saying: "I need to discuss this with my team now. I was in pain when landing after the jumps."

Nadia Delago has to watch from the sidelines.

But Brignone is gritting his teeth and intends to attack on Sunday starting at 11:30 a.m. This was announced by Italy's Winter Sports Federation late this afternoon. Italy's quartet is now complete. At the same time, this means Nadia Delago will have to watch the downhill race from the sidelines.

Nadia Delago will not compete in the downhill race. © ANSA / ANDREA SOLERO

This didn't come as a surprise to the Val Gardena native. "Brignone has had two good training sessions and is feeling better every day. I think she'll start," Delago had said after training on Saturday. A few hours later, it was confirmed.