Italy, the host of the Olympics, faces another setback as top female skier Marta Bassino sustains a lateral fracture of the tibial plateau in her left leg during a training crash. The incident occurred on a flat section of a course in Val Senales, northern Italy, while she was gearing up for the upcoming World Cup race in Soelden, Austria. Due to her injury, Bassino will miss the initial races of the World Cup season and potentially the Milan-Cortina Olympics scheduled for February.
This injury adds to the list of sidelined Italian skiers, with overall World Cup champion Federica Brignone also recovering from multiple leg fractures and an anterior cruciate ligament tear following a crash in April. Bassino, a decorated skier with accomplishments including a gold in super-G at the 2023 world championships and seven World Cup victories, faces uncertainty regarding her return to competitive skiing.
The absence of key athletes like Bassino and Brignone poses challenges for Italy’s prospects at the upcoming events, including the highly anticipated Olympics in Milan-Cortina. The impact of these injuries on the Italian ski team’s performance remains to be seen as they navigate through these setbacks.