Sofia Goggia, the world’s top downhiller, underwent season-ending surgery Monday after fracturing her right tibia in a giant slalom training crash.
Goggia will rest for about 40 days, then faces a period of physiotherapy, according to the Italian winter sports federation. The Alpine skiing World Cup season ends March 23.
Goggia, 31, won two races this season and made six total podiums.
The 2018 Olympic downhill gold medalist ranks No. 1 in the downhill season standings, No. 4 in the super-G and No. 5 in the overall.
In 2022, Goggia came back from a Jan. 23 super-G crash -- where she suffered a minor fibula fracture, a partially torn ACL and a sprained left knee -- to win Olympic downhill silver that Feb. 15.
In December 2022, Goggia broke two fingers in a downhill, had surgery, then won a downhill the next day.
She has had at least four knee surgeries during her career.
Goggia joins a large group of decorated Alpine skiers who suffered season-ending injuries: Olympic slalom gold medalist Petra Vlhova of Slovakia, Olympic downhill gold medalist Corinne Suter of Switzerland, last season’s top male downhiller Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway and the last two world champions in the men’s combined — Alexis Pinturault of France and Marco Schwarz of Austria.
American Mikaela Shiffrin has not raced since injuring her left knee in a Jan. 26 downhill but could return later this season.
