Olympic Champion Michelle Gisin Faces Major Setback with Neck Surgery

Olympic ski champion Michelle Gisin will undergo neck surgery after a heavy fall during training in St Moritz, posing a significant setback for the Swiss team ahead of the Milano Cortina Games. The crash resulted in injuries to her wrist, knee, and cervical spine. Further evaluations are pending.

Olympic ski champion Michelle Gisin will undergo neck surgery following a heavy fall during downhill training in St Moritz on Thursday, marking another significant setback for the Swiss Alpine team before the Milano Cortina Games.

The 32-year-old, a gold medalist in the combined event at the Winter Olympics in both 2018 and 2022, was swiftly transported to Zurich for medical attention after crashing into safety netting. According to Swiss Ski, Gisin sustained injuries to her right wrist, left knee, and cervical spine but remained able to move her limbs normally. Surgery for the spinal injury will proceed on Thursday, with further examinations on her wrist and knee planned post-stabilization of her cervical spine.

Gisin's incident is the latest in a series of misfortunes for the Swiss women's team, which sees its third Olympic champion severely injured. Additionally, two-time overall World Cup winner Lara Gut-Behrami and Olympic downhill champion Corinne Suter have also faced training-related injuries. The Milano Cortina Games, starting February 6, will introduce new team combined events, potentially affecting athlete participation like Gisin's.

(With inputs from agencies.)