Olympic Cortina: Brignone miraculous 341 days after fracture, Miradoli ends 24-year drought

Sport sometimes writes stories so beautiful they become surreal. Federica Brignone, 35, Italy's flag bearer, back from a tibia-fibula double fracture suffered in April 2025 at the Italian Championships, won Thursday morning's Olympic Super-G on the Olimpia delle Tofane in 1:23.41, ahead of France's Romane Miradoli (+0.41) and Austria's Cornelia Hütter (+0.52). The "Tigress of La Salle" claimed at 35 her first individual Olympic title and fourth Olympic medal of her career—ten months after fearing she'd never ski again. Miradoli, meanwhile, gave French women's alpine skiing its first Olympic medal since Carole Montillet's downhill gold at Salt Lake City in 2002. Twenty-four years of waiting erased in 1:23.82.

```

The race was marked by an unprecedented carnage on Cortina's treacherous course: 16 DNFs among 42 starters, an attrition rate of 38%. Among the victims, major favorites—Sofia Goggia, Breezy Johnson, Emma Aicher, Ester Ledecka, Nina Ortlieb. A Super-G of natural selection, in changing visibility conditions, that crowned the most clear-headed and consistent skiers.

Brignone: the Tigress's rebirth

341 days ago, Federica Brignone lay on the course at the Italian Championships in Moena, Val di Fassa, her left leg's tibia and fibula fractured, ACL torn. Her career's most accomplished season—ten World Cup victories, overall globe, downhill and giant slalom globes—had just shattered in pain. Eleven months before "her" Olympic Games, the Val d'Aosta native feared the worst.

"I was afraid of limping all my life, of no longer being able to do sports, of no longer having a normal life," she confided in the weeks following the accident. What followed is a tale of relentless resilience. Surgery with plate and screws, arthroscopy in July, tireless rehabilitation accompanied by her brother Davide. First turns in November at Cervinia, then two World Cup races in January—sixth in giant slalom at Kronplatz, 18th in Super-G at Crans-Montana—to "test the leg, the mind, the pain."

Flag bearer at the San Siro opening ceremony on Amos Mosaner's shoulders, tenth in downhill on February 8, she arrived this morning at the Olimpia delle Tofane with measured ambition but intact determination.

On course, magic happened. Sixth-fastest time in sector one, seventh in sector two—a cautious start that could have worried. Then Brignone fired up the engines where so many others cracked: absolute best time in sectors 3 and 4, where the course traps and fatigue opens gaps. A lesson in clear-headedness and race management, signed by the field's most experienced skier.

With this gold, Brignone brings her Olympic record to four medals: bronze in giant slalom at PyeongChang 2018, silver in giant slalom and bronze in combined at Beijing 2022, and now Super-G gold at home. At 35, she's authored one of Olympic alpine skiing history's greatest exploits. Italian President Sergio Mattarella, present in the stands, witnessed his flag bearer's crowning moment live.

Miradoli: silver that breaks the curse

Romane Miradoli, 31, from Samoëns in Haute-Savoie, had never reached an Olympic or World Championship podium. Fourth in this season's World Cup Super-G standings, she was experiencing her career's best season but remained an outsider in the Olympic hierarchy. Thursday, the Frenchwoman achieved what she herself called "the race of my life."

"I dreamed of it, but between dreaming and doing what's needed on skis to reach the bottom... It's magical!" she exclaimed to France Télévisions, still in shock from her performance. Split times tell the story of a remarkably consistent run: 3 hundredths back in sector 1, 8 hundredths in sector 2, 18 hundredths in sector 3, 12 hundredths in sector 4. Never a clear mistake, never falling off pace—the very definition of clean, committed Super-G. When favorites fell one after another around her, Miradoli held her line.

Miradoli's silver ends 24 years of drought for French women's alpine skiing at the Olympic Games. Since Carole Montillet's downhill gold at Salt Lake City in 2002, France hadn't reached a women's Olympic podium in the discipline. It's the French delegation's eighth medal at these Milan-Cortina Games.

Behind Miradoli, other French skiers also shone: Camille Cerutti recorded an excellent 8th place tied with New Zealander Alice Robinson, while Laura Gauché finished 12th. Three French women in an Olympic Super-G's top 12—a remarkable collective performance.

Olimpia delle Tofane carnage

The number is striking: 16 DNFs among 42 starters, a 38% attrition rate. This Olympic Super-G will go down in history as one of the most selective ever. Among the victims, names that carry serious weight in the world hierarchy.

Sofia Goggia experienced a waking nightmare. The Italian, downhill bronze medalist Saturday, was the announced favorite on "her" Cortina course, strong from her World Cup Super-G leader position. At mid-course, she posted the best intermediate time, 68 hundredths ahead in sector 2. Then came the fatal error: too committed, too fast, she found herself off line and missed a gate. Disappointment is immense for someone who dreamed of home gold.

Breezy Johnson, Olympic downhill champion at these same Games, crashed heavily after catching her arm in a gate and losing control—a scenario recalling Lindsey Vonn's crash days earlier in downhill. Fortunately, the American got up without apparent injury. Emma Aicher, double silver medalist at Milan-Cortina (downhill and combined), was also trapped by the course. For the United States and Germany, it's a dark day.

Changing visibility: blind Super-G

The Olimpia delle Tofane course was magnificent—technical, fluid, with genuine line choices to make. But visibility conditions evolved considerably as the race progressed. Fog, increasingly dense in the upper section, disrupted trajectory reading and reference-taking, contributing largely to the high DNF count.

Split analysis is eloquent. Sector 3, the most technical, was the great separator: Brignone posted the best time there, Miradoli the second-best, and gaps opened decisively. Conversely, sector 1 saw Corinne Suter (11th) record the absolute best time, 41 hundredths ahead, before collapsing in following sectors—symbol of a race where consistency trumped speed bursts.

Malorie Blanc (SUI, 10th) also illustrates conditions' impact: best skier in sector 2 behind Goggia, the Swiss lost over a second in sector 3 alone, likely victim of visibility degradation at the worst moment.

Italy celebrates, despite Goggia

Three Italians in the top 7—Brignone (1st), Pirovano (5th tied), Curtoni (7th)—in a home Olympic Super-G: the squadra azzurra can celebrate collectively, even if Goggia's exit leaves a bitter taste. Laura Pirovano delivered a solid race, despite time lost in sector 1, to grab a beautiful top-5 tie with Norwegian Kajsa Vickhoff Lie. Elena Curtoni, making her individual Olympic debut at 33, finished 7th at 77 hundredths—a worthy, elegant performance from this circuit veteran.

Austria confirms depth

Cornelia Hütter (3rd) and Ariane Raedler (4th, just one hundredth from bronze) confirm Austrian depth in speed. Raedler, already team combined Olympic champion at these Games with Katharina Huber, continues her haul. Both Austrians lost time in sector 1 but managed to limit damage in technical passages—intelligent race strategy on such a treacherous course. Their compatriots Puchner and Ortlieb weren't so lucky, both DNFing mid-race.

What's next?

Brignone's gold resonates as one of Milan-Cortina Games' finest exploits—and perhaps women's alpine skiing's recent history. Back from hell in 341 days, the Val d'Aosta native proved that experience, race craft, and mental strength can still triumph in a sport increasingly dominated by youth and athleticism.

For Miradoli, Olympic silver changes a career and opens new dimensions. The Frenchwoman, who'd never tasted a major championship podium, now enters French skiing history alongside Montillet, Jacot, and Péronne. The prospect of 2030 Games in the French Alps adds particular flavor to this medal.

As for Goggia, frustration will be immense—but the "Bergamasque" knows how to bounce back. Giant slalom isn't her specialty, but nothing can be ruled out at these Games where scenarios seem written by a novelist.

```