CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Federica Brignone tilted her head up toward the sky and watched the Italian Air Force’s acrobatic unit leave behind a trail of the country’s colors amid the jagged peaks of the Dolomites as the sun finally peaked through the clouds of what had been a gray day at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
With Italy President Sergio Mattarella in attendance, Brignone walked out moments later to step up on the podium and soon had a gold
medal draped around her neck.
The fairytale-like scene after Brignone’s super-G victory at the Winter Olympics on Thursday, 10 months after the Italian skier broke multiple bones in her left leg and was unable to even walk for three months, seemed like something out of a Hollywood film.
“One of those films that you don’t believe in because it’s not possible for it to end that well,” Brignone said. “A fake.”
Turns out this one was real, though.
The 35-year-old Brignone earned the one big prize missing in her storied career by completing an improbable comeback to earn her first Olympic gold medal.
Known as “the Tiger” for her feisty personality and the aggressive animal design on her helmet, Brignone unleashed a scream and a series of fist pumps after putting down a near-perfect run on a day when teammate Sofia Goggia and many other contenders couldn’t even finish their runs on a technical course-set made more difficult by fog and flat light.
It wasn't even close.
Brignone was only the sixth starter but she finished a massive 0.41 seconds ahead of silver medalist Romane Miradoli of France and 0.52 ahead of bronze medalist Cornelia Huetter of Austria.
At 35, Brignone became the oldest woman to win gold in Alpine skiing at the Olympics. It was also her fourth Olympic medal after claiming silver in the Super-G and bronze in the team event at the 2022 Beijing Games. She also earned bronze in the Super-G in Pyeongchang in 2018. Brignone’s four Olympic medals now match Deborah Compagnoni for the most by an Italian women’s skier.
Brignone dominated en route to her second overall World Cup title last season — including a World Cup super-G victory on the Olympia delle Tofane course in Cortina 13 months ago. Then in April, she crashed at the Italian championships.
It required two surgeries and 42 stitches to put her leg back together. And then months of rehab. She didn’t compete again until late January — little more than two weeks before the Olympics.
“I didn’t know if I would be able to walk again. Or ever ski again,” she said. “For me it was just special to be here.”
Andrea Panzeri, the chief physician for the Italian Winter Sports Federation, noted that Brignone still has a metal rode and “at least seven or eight screws” holding her injured leg together.
“To be honest, it was unthinkable,” Panzeri said of winning gold after such an injury. “But we made the right decisions in terms of the timetable. We operated on her the night she was injured. The bone and ligaments needed to heal at different paces. The second surgery was required because she couldn’t bend her knee beyond 90%.
“But it’s the champion that makes the difference,” Panzeri added. “A normal person would still be in rehab.”
Downhill champion Breezy Johnson of the U.S. caught her right pole on a gate shortly after exiting the speed-building chute at the start of the course and lost her balance. She ended up slamming into the safety fences but was quickly able to get back on her feet.
Johnson still had a piece of hardware waiting for her at the finish. Longtime boyfriend Connor Watkins proposed shortly after the race ended and Johnson gleefully accepted the sapphire and white gold ring.
Johnson was hardly the only one who ran into trouble in difficult conditions. Goggia, currently atop the World Cup super-G standings, 2018 Olympic gold medalist Ester Ledecka of Czechia and American Mary Bocock — in the race after U.S. star Lindsey Vonn severely injured her left leg in the downhill on Sunday — were all unable to make it down safely.
In all, 16 of the 42 skiers didn't reach the finish and for many of those who did, it was a rocky ride.
Brignone was one of four flag bearers for Italy during the opening ceremonies. At one point, still bothered by the pain in her left leg nearly 10 months after her terrifying crash in Val di Fassa, Brignone asked curler Amos Mosaner to carry her on his shoulders. Mosaner obliged, leaving Brignone free to wave the flag.
“It’s like a fairytale for Fede. She’s amazing," said Alice Robinson of New Zealand, who finished tied for eighth, more than a second behind. "I remember watching her run last year here in the super-G, it was amazing, and thinking ‘Oh, if she pulls that off next year, it’s going to be good.’ But to come through what she’s done and pull this off today is pretty incredible.”
Vonn, who knows a thing or two (or three) about responding to adversity, gave her longtime friend and competitor a shoutout.
"Congrats Fede,” Vonn tweeted. “What an incredible comeback!!”
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AP National Writer Will Graves contributed to this report.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
