Federica Brignone capped one of the most inspiring comeback stories in Alpine skiing by storming to super-G gold on home snow at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday.
The Italian veteran, affectionately known as the “Tiger” for her fierce racing style, delivered a fearless performance on the fog-shrouded Olimpia delle Tofane course to claim victory just months after a career-threatening injury had cast serious doubt over her Olympic participation.
Brignone, 35, was sixth out of the start gate and attacked a technically demanding track that played perfectly to her strengths. Her aggressive line and controlled speed proved decisive on a day when the course punished even the sport’s biggest names.
France’s Romane Miradoli secured the silver medal, finishing 0.41 seconds behind the Italian, while Austria’s Cornelia Huetter took bronze, according to provisional results.
The race unfolded with high drama. Ten of the first 24 starters failed to finish, including Brignone’s Italian teammate Sofia Goggia. American downhill champion Breezy Johnson also crashed heavily at high speed, sliding into the safety netting before walking away from the incident.
Brignone’s triumph carries extra emotional weight. Last April, a crash at the Italian national championships left her with multiple leg fractures and a torn anterior cruciate ligament, putting her Olympic dream in jeopardy. In a race against time, she returned to World Cup competition only in late January, managing a respectable 10th place in the downhill to confirm her readiness.
Thursday’s gold medal marks a historic moment, becoming Italy’s first Alpine skiing title at the Milano-Cortina Games. It also completes Brignone’s full Olympic medal collection, adding gold to the silver she won in giant slalom at Beijing 2022 and the bronze earned at PyeongChang 2018.
On home snow, against the odds, the Tiger roared once more. Photo by Gruppo Matou, Wikimedia commons.