Home hero Federica Brignone celebrates her ‘masterpiece’ super-G gold after comeback for the ages

Did Federica Brignone pull off the greatest Olympic Alpine skiing comeback of all time?

Ten months ago, the 35-year-old suffered a career-threatening leg injury. In November, she put her skis on again for the first time, and just three weeks ago she made her return to competition.

On Thursday (12 February) at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, Italy’s most successful skier in World Cup history performed at her very best in the women’s super-G to win her first Olympic title in spectacular fashion.

“Without a doubt this is a masterpiece, but it’s more a masterpiece of the mind, of perseverance, of going beyond what I thought was possible. It’s something truly special, for sure,” Brignone said in the post-race press conference, a gold medal hanging from her neck.

The four-time Olympic medallist admitted to having “doubts every day” and that her comeback this year looked at one point to be “really impossible.”

“I stayed there, I tried to work really hard and, for some reason, I believed it,” she shared. “I’m a positive person and I will try to make something to make it happen.”

But instead of forcing it, the ‘Tiger of La Salle’ took a different approach.

“Today I was really calm, I was happy to be here, I made everything that I could and I was easy with myself for once. I’m really so strong with myself every day, but lately I’ve been trying to be more easy. I mean, I did everything that I could, nothing more I could do, so I’m trying to take it easy a little bit more.”

'I had no pressure'

Brignone is the first female skier from the host country to win an Olympic super-G title since Daniela Ceccarelli at Salt Lake City 2002. But despite being the reigning world champion, the Italian didn’t have the spotlight on her due to the many question marks surrounding her fitness.

“This helped me a lot to win today, because I had no pressure,” she revealed.

“The problem to race at [a] home Olympics is the pressure, because the media have been asking about this event since six years. For athletes, this is really hard to take. You feel a lot of pressure. For me it was just special to be here.”

Instead of trying to ski exactly like she did before the injury, the reigning overall World Cup title holder has been aware of her limits. “I really accepted it. This was the best thing I ever did in my life, to accept my injury,” she said.

“The other year, I was watching for the perfect, the 'tiger line', this year it was the safe line. And for sure, it’s not easy. I think the hardest work to make is not physical, it’s mental.”

Her experience and body awareness helped her deliver when it mattered most: “I am somebody that skis really in control. I know exactly what I’m doing when I’m skiing, so this makes me feel a bit more confident to have the courage to make something. I’m just focusing on my skiing, I’m not risking something that I can’t control.”

'If it keeps on hurting a lot, I don't know if I can continue'

Dealing with pain on a daily basis is something Brignone has learned during her long journey of recovery.

“It’s for sure not easy still, I’m not completely healed. For sure, walking now is better. I can walk with no pain, if I don’t walk too much. After skiing, it’s not always easy, but I have an amazing team of doctors and physiotherapists. They are taking care of me a lot of hours every day and it’s thanks to them that I can ski every day.”

The persistent pain continued in the days ahead of Thursday’s Super-G race, prompting doubts around her participation: “Two days ago I tried to ski but I couldn’t, it was so much pain and I also chose not to ski because I wanted to be here today and be better today. But every day is new also for my leg. All the jumps were new, the speed was new, I didn’t do any speed or downhill, just the training run in Crans-Montana, so for sure it’s hurting.”

The Italian veteran admitted that her condition might affect her future: “I don’t know, I am living day by day, I will see what happens. I didn’t think about it. For sure, if it keeps on hurting a lot, like now, like lately, I don’t know if I can continue, but for sure I want to try.”