Goggia returns as Italy's top medal hope for Winter Games

Two weeks after suffering a minor leg fracture and torn ligaments, Sofia Goggiahurtled 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.