Federica Brignone to return to racing two weeks before Olympic Games but 'can't say' if she will compete at Milano-Cortina following horror injury
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Published 19/01/2026 at 14:57 GMT
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Hopes were high that ski sensation Federica Brignone, one of Italy's four flag bearers for the 2026 Winter Olympics, would be in the medal hunt in Cortina before a horror injury last April left her participation in doubt. The 2025 world giant slalom champion said on Monday that she will return to competitive racing on Tuesday in Plan de Corones but "can't say" if she will be ready for the Games.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Reigning world champion Federica Brignone has confirmed she will return from injury to compete in the World Cup giant slalom on Tuesday but the Italian "can’t say whether I’ll be at the Olympics."
Brignone is one of her country’s four flag bearers for a home Winter Games in Milan and Cortina, starting on February 6 live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The 35-year-old was set to be one of the host nation’s strongest medal hopes after claiming the giant slalom world title in 2025, but a double leg break in April last year left her facing a race to recover in time.
Speaking on Monday, Brignone said she will return to competitive racing for the first time since the injury for Tuesday’s World Cup giant slalom event at Plan de Corones, but was keen to stress that her participation was not a confirmation of being ready for the Olympics.
"I’m not here for a race result but for myself. Just being able to race tomorrow will already be a success, something fantastic," Brignone said.
"Giant slalom is the discipline where I perform best, but it’s also the one where I feel the most pain. I’ve done very little downhill but there I have much less pain.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
"Tuesday’s race is another test to see how my body responds even after two races three hours apart. I wanted to test myself and I’m here to race, and I’m not afraid of not getting a result tomorrow.
"The Olympic programme depends entirely on how Tuesday goes, in terms of sensations and pain, certainly not results.
"Will I be able to handle a race? We’ll see. Then I’ll move to Cortina to try the speed events.
"Today I can’t say whether I’ll be at the Olympics, even though none of us should say that until we put our poles in the Olympic starting gate.
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"Since I got injured, I haven’t had a single day without pain, even in my normal daily life. Some days it hurts more, others less, and on some days I haven’t been able to ski at all."
Brignone is one of Italy’s most successful skiers and became the first woman from her country to win the World Cup overall title in 2020, before repeating the feat in 2025.
A three-time Olympic medallist, Brignone won giant slalom silver and combined bronze at Beijing 2022, having previously claimed bronze in giant slalom at PyeongChang 2018.
Hopes were high for a medal charge when Brignone enjoyed a spectacular start to last year, winning giant slalom gold and super-G silver at the World Championships in Saalbach, before injury cruelly cut her preparation short.
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games begin on Friday, February 6 and you can watch all the action live and on demand on TNT Sports and discovery+.
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