Comeback queen Brignone wins super-G at Winter Olympics

Federica Brignone crowned a sensational comeback from injury to win the women’s super-G at the Winter Olympics on Thursday and bring gold medal joy to the host nation.

Nicknamed ‘The Tiger’, the Italian roared down the slope in Cortina d’Ampezzo in 1min 23.41sec to win her first Olympic gold less than a year after she suffered a double leg fracture.

“I was expecting my skiing to be really confident and try to make every turn clean and be, not perfect, but to let my skis go and be smooth through the terrain,” Brignone said.

“I tried to always be in front of the slope and to attack. I didn’t expect anything else.”

Non sono esperto, ma comunque grande gara di #Brignone.
Mi hanno fatto male le ginocchia solo a guardare.pic.twitter.com/qM4zX5jzTQ

— Leonardo Dorini (@dorinileonardo) February 12, 2026

The 35-year-old also gave Italy its fifth gold of the Milan-Cortina Games in front of Italian President Sergio Mattarella by finishing 0.41sec ahead of France’s Romane Miradoli, with Cornelia Huetter rounding out the podium.

Brignone said it was “crazy” to have won Olympic gold on home snow.

“I don’t think I’ve realised it, even with some time already. I have experience, so I know exactly what I did, but I think I will enjoy it more with my team after,” she said.

Brignone’s participation in the Olympics was in doubt as recently as three weeks ago due to the double fracture of the tibia in her left leg from a crash in a race in April 2025.

She had only raced four times before Thursday’s super-G, finishing 10th in the downhill which kicked off the women’s alpine skiing events in Cortina.

Her last win was on home snow at in the World Cup super-G at La Thuile in March last year, but she is also giant slalom world champion and has a shot for double Olympic gold with her favoured discipline being held on Sunday.

Asked whether she thought gold had been realistic after her struggles with injury, Brignone said: “No, never. That’s maybe why I did it, because today I was an underdog.

“I was an outsider, but I know what I can do with my skis.”

Rivals fail to finish

Brignone was helped by some of her key rivals not being able to handle a tricky course which favoured her as a giant slalom specialist.

Additionally, starting in sixth gave her the advantage on a course where the snow quickly degraded.

New Olympic downhill champion Breezy Johnson didn’t even finish the top section before crashing out, her failure pushing to tears the USA coaches watching on from the finish area.

The Americans have had a emotional time in Cortina, with Johnson’s downhill triumph flanked by Lindsey Vonn breaking her leg and Mikaela Shiffrin flopping in her debut in the team combined.

Rising star Emma Aicher of Germany was also caught out, as was Brignone’s compatriot and speed specialist Sofia Goggia.

Goggia’s wild skiing style caught up with her as she whacked into the snow just after she established a 0.64sec advantage at the first time split.

In total there were four medallists from these Games among those who did not finish, as well as 2018 Olympic super-G champion Ester Ledecka and two-time world downhill champion Ilka Stuhec.