FILE PHOTO: Mar 27, 2025; Sun Valley, ID, USA; World Cup overall points winner Federica Brignone of Italy celebrates with the crystal globe after the 2025 FIS Ski World Cup at Sun Valley. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images/File Photo
PARIS (Reuters) -Italian skier Federica Brignone said her recovery from leg surgery could stretch beyond the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in February and admits she still does not know when she will return to competition.
The 35-year-old, one of Italy's leading medal hopes at the Games, sustained a double leg fracture at the Italian championships in April.
"Some people took two years to return from a similar injury," the 2020 and 2025 overall World Cup winner told Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera on Wednesday.
"When will I ski and race again? Istill don’t know."
Brignone said she spent months almost entirely at Juventus’ JMedical clinic in Turin following two operations and that she had been receiving advice from Austrian Nina Ortlieb, who went through numerous surgeries during her career.
"Nina Ortlieb, who has undergone 20 operations, was kind enough to give me practical advice: how to take a shower, wash my hair, manage normal actions that had become complicated,” she said.
She added that she had struggled when told a second operation was necessary.
“I wasn’t walking well, I couldn’t go up the stairs, my knee was swollen. I told myself, 'still like this after four months?' But there were also moments when I felt strong, reactive, positive. In short, a fighter like I am," she added.
"I love challenges, I could not refuse this one."
Milan-born Brignone said she would never regain full flexion of her knee and while she wanted to take part in her home Olympics it was too soon to say if she will make it.
"I keep working like hell to participate," she added. "People want me to be there, and I’m grateful. But to those who say it’s easy, I’d like to ask them to swap their healthy leg for my injured one."
The 2026 Winter Games run from February 6-22.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
