Two-time Olympic gold medalist Michelle Gisin was airlifted for back surgery after a serious crash during a practice session for a World Cup downhill event in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Gisin becomes the third current Olympic champion from the Swiss women’s alpine ski team to suffer a training accident in the past month, following Lara Gut-Behrami and Corinne Suter.
The 32-year-old Swiss athlete collided with safety barriers at speeds exceeding 110 kilometers per hour on a cloudy morning in St. Moritz while preparing for upcoming downhill and super-G races. Despite sustaining injuries to her right wrist and left knee, Gisin maintains normal movement in her limbs, as confirmed by the Swiss ski team.
Following the incident, Gisin was swiftly transported to Zurich for surgery via air ambulance and is reported to be in a stable condition. The crash occurred when one of her skis appeared to catch an edge, causing her to veer off course and collide with safety nets before coming to a stop. Television footage captured Gisin conscious but with facial abrasions and cuts as medical personnel attended to her.
Gisin, a double gold medalist in alpine combined at the last two Winter Olympics, currently leads the Swiss women’s speed team in the absence of her injured 2022 Beijing Olympic teammates. Gut-Behrami sustained a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear in her left knee during a practice crash at Copper Mountain, Colorado, while Suter is recovering from calf, knee, and foot injuries sustained in a previous training mishap at St. Moritz.
During the recent Winter Games in China, Suter claimed the downhill gold, Gut-Behrami secured victory in the super-G (where Gisin earned bronze), and Gisin triumphed in the individual combined event, contributing to the Swiss team’s total of seven Olympic medals. Gisin’s crash coincided with the presence of American skiing star Lindsey Vonn on the course, with Vonn pausing her practice run to allow medical assistance for Gisin before continuing.
Vonn had been the fastest in the initial practice session the day before. The upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympics are set to commence on February 6, featuring the women’s alpine skiing competition at the historic Cortina d’Ampezzo venue.
