FILE PHOTO: 2022 Beijing Olympics - Alpine Skiing - Women's Downhill - National Alpine Skiing Centre, Yanqing district, Beijing, China - February 15, 2022. Sofia Goggia of Italy in action. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
Jan 9 (Reuters) - Two weeks after suffering a minor leg fracture and torn ligaments, Sofia Goggia hurtled down the course at the 2022 Beijing Olympics to claim a silver medal in the downhill, a comeback the Italian skier described as a miracle.
Goggia returns to the spotlight as Italy’s strongest medal hope for the Milano‑Cortina 2026 Winter Games, with her top rival, reigning World Cup Champion Federica Brignone, still working her way back from a serious knee injury that kept her off the snow for 237 days.
At 33, Goggia, who became the first Italian woman to win an Olympic downhill gold at the 2018 PyeongChang Games,is preparing for what may be her final Olympics and the first on domestic snow at Cortina d’Ampezzo, a slope she has dominated throughout her career.
"Cortina is not just a downhill or a race; it means the world to me," she said of the Olimpia delle Tofane course after her fourth downhill World Cup win there last January.
A fierce competitor known for her uncompromising, high‑risk style, Goggia has bounced back from multiple serious injuries.
Her fearlessness has propelled her to four downhill titles, 26 career wins and 64 podiums, although she never secured the overall crystal globe won twice by her compatriot Brignone.
MORE BALANCED APPROACH TO RACING
This season, she has emphasised refining technique, improving aerodynamics and boosting stability — part of what she describes as a more mature, balanced approach to racing.
"My goal is to return to my highest level, race with consistency, and be competitive every weekend in speed," she said last month.
"I want to fight for wins when the conditions are right, but above all I want a solid, healthy season that allows me to express my skiing at its best."
Her early‑season results in St. Moritz bode well.
Goggia secured multiple podiums, including a third place in the World Cup Super‑G, a performance she described as solid.
Born in 1992 in Bergamo, in northern Italy's Alpine foothills, Goggia grew up in an environment that made skiing feel less like a sport and more like a natural extensionof daily life.
As a child, she spent long days on the slopes above the city and in the nearby Foppolo area, where she first strapped on skis at the age of three.
At nine, when asked about her biggest sporting dream, she had replied confidently: "To win the Olympic downhill".
Goggia now has the perfect opportunity to fulfil that ambition.
(Reporting by Lisa Jucca, editing by Ed Osmond)
