Luca De Aliprandini couldn't hold back the tears.

Because of his fiancée: Ski star bursts into tears

The giant slalom in Val d'Isère turned into a Swiss party, but the most emotional moment of the day was provided by the Italian Luca De Aliprandini, who burst into tears on TV.

13 December 2025

From: det

It's the topic that's particularly gripping the ski world these days. Michelle Gisin suffered a brutal crash during downhill training in St. Moritz on Thursday and subsequently had to undergo spinal surgery. It was an agonizing few hours, especially for Gisin's family. “That was horrific,” said Michelle’s brother Marc.

This story was particularly poignant for Gisin's fiancé, Luca De Aliprandini, himself Italy's most outstanding giant slalom skier of recent years. The skier from the Non Valley rushed to the hospital immediately after the crash to be with his girlfriend. Despite this difficult time, he managed to compete in the Val d'Isère giant slalom on Saturday. De Aliprandini ultimately finished 26th, but that was a mere footnote.

Luca De Aliprandini with his fiancée Michelle Gisin.

After the first lap, the Trentino native refused to give any interviews, but after the second lap he did – and was completely overcome by emotion. When De Aliprandini RAIAs he stepped into the microphone, he couldn't utter a word at first. But then he could no longer hold back his tears.

"Her wish was for me to start today." Luca De Aliprandini

“Michelle gives me so much strength,” De Aliprandini finally said, her voice breaking. “She’s okay, she’s strong,” was another fragment of words the ski star managed to utter. “It was her wish that I compete today. I did it, but it was very difficult.”

So, there were some emotional moments after the giant slalom in Val d'Isère. But what really matters in the end is that Michelle Gisin is on the road to recovery; she even took her first steps on crutches in the hospital on Saturday. And she must be especially proud of her son Luca after this day.