Fingers crossed for Federica Brignone
Fingers crossed for Federica Brignone who is back in the race and on Tuesday morning will be at the start of the World Cup giant slalom in Kronplatz (Bolzano) that on the Erta slope will see her at the starting gate together with eight other azzurre, Sofia Goggia, Lara Della Mea, Asja Zenere, Ilaria Ghisalberti, Giorgia Collomb, Ambra Pomarè, Alice Pazzaglia and Anna Trocker. For the Valle d’Aosta-born overall World Cup holder, this is her return 292 days after the terrible injury she suffered last April 3 on Alpe Lusia, in Val di Fassa.
The 35-year-old from La Salle, who was invested with the role of Italian flag bearer along with Federico Pellegrino, Amos Mosaner and Arianna Fontana in the opening ceremony of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina 2026, spoke to reporters to tell about her feelings just a few hours after her return to competition.
“For me it’s really great to be competing, there couldn’t be a better place than in Italy and on this track that I really like: I’m here to test myself, my mind, my body. I’m not chasing any results: it’s already special to be here given what happened last year. In April, I didn’t know if I would ever show up at a gate again. I don’t think I have anything to prove, I am quite calm but I will still be excited, it will be a different emotion, probably a new one.”
“Whatever comes will be great. To my credit I have 13 days of poles, I did five days of speed in Val di Fassa, with my teammates, I followed a different program than usual. Giant skiing is better for me, but I have more pain, in speed it hurts less, but I’ve done very little: every day is a test, I haven’t followed a real preparation and for that tomorrow’s is one more chance to see how the body reacts to two heats of competition three hours apart. I felt like testing myself and I am here to compete.”
The first heat is scheduled at 10:30 a.m., the second at 1:30 p.m. with live television coverage on Rai Due and Eurosport.
Starting list for the first run: 1 Robinson, 2 Scheib, 3 Stjernesund, 4 Hector, 5 Moltzan, 6 Rast, 7 Ljutic, 8 Shiffrin, 9 Colturi, 10 Grenier, 11 Duerr, 12 Goggia, 13 Brignone, 14 O’Brien, 15 Gasienica-Daniel, 18 Della Mea, 23 Zenere, 36 A. Trocker, 38 Pazzaglia, 39 Collomb, 47 Ghisalberti, 49 Pomaré.
