Federica Brignone ends season: 'My body has presented me with the bill'

The decision of Federica Brignone to immediately halt her starts in the World Cup shocked the skiing community, especially as it came shortly after her historic Olympic success. The Italian, one of the most decorated alpine skiers in her country's history, openly admitted that her body can no longer withstand the rigor of competitions. The athlete described the recent weeks as a constant struggle with pain, which took away the joy of being on the slopes. The official announcement of the end of the season appeared right after the competition in Andorra, where Brignone took a distant eighth place, clearly lagging behind the leaders. The athlete emphasized that she must now focus on recovery, but did not provide a specific date for returning to training, which sparked a wave of speculation about the possible end of her professional career in the near future. In the history of alpine skiing, the sudden withdrawal of leaders after the Olympics is rare, but it has happened before to great masters, such as Hermann Maier, whose career was interrupted by dramatic injuries and the need for long-term rehabilitation. While Brignone goes on forced rest, another representative of Italy, Sofia Goggia, dominates on technical and speed tracks. Her victory in the super-G in Soldeu brought her closer to winning another Crystal Globe. Goggia demonstrated exceptional precision on the technically difficult course, distancing her rivals in the lower part of the descent. On the podium next to her stood the young representative of Germany, Emma Aicher, who once again proved that she belongs to the world's elite. Aicher's success is interpreted by experts as a signal of an upcoming generational change, especially in the context of health problems of older athletes, such as Brignone or Mikaela Shiffrin. „Il mio corpo chiede il conto, la mia stagione finisce qui.” (My body is presenting the bill, my season ends here.) — Federica Brignone The situation in women's skiing is becoming increasingly tense due to the overloaded FIS calendar. Many coaches and sports doctors warn that the number of anterior cruciate ligament injuries among female athletes has drastically increased over the past two years. Brignone's case is treated as a warning for the entire system – even the best physically prepared champion can succumb to overload. The Italian ski federation (FISI) announced full support for its leader, emphasizing that the priority is her mental and physical health, not ad hoc points in the overall standings, in which Italian women anyway occupy dominant positions.