On June 18, much sooner than expected, Goggia was back in the snow. She remembers that “the doctors initially predicted six months from surgery to return to snow.” “However, the procedure went well, and we recovered so quickly that we chose to put the skis back on earlier.” Coach Agazzi says, “Sofia is in very good shape,” confirming her growth. She has no pain when she loads her foot or leg. We skied on race ski boots that were unmodified, but she needs to get acclimated to the plate within. Inside the boot, the foot is doing nicely. She experienced some soreness after two days, although it is typical after several months.
A calamity occurred on February 5. The adored “speed queen” of Italy, Sofia Goggia, suffered a collision in Ponte di Legno while practicing giant slalom. She struck a fence so hard that her right foot’s malleolus and tibia broke. On the same day, she underwent surgery in Milan, bringing an abrupt end to her 2023–2024 season.
Goggia had been enjoying a phenomenal streak. Her greatest performance in the discipline since 2018 came in the World Cup GS at Krönplatz, when she finished in fifth position. More significantly, she finished first in the season’s downhill standings and fifth overall after six podiums, including two wins.For the four-time World Cup downhill discipline winner and 2018 Olympic downhill champion, the next few weeks were extremely demanding. Though Goggia openly assured her supporters that she will compete again, she secretly worried that her career might be coming to an end. She even thought about giving up. She made fun of a magazine cover that showed her with two left feet on a national TV show, but in private, she was worried about her future when it came to skiing.
The Italian Ski Federation’s medical director, Dr. Andrea Panzeri, gave an account of how serious her injury was. “For a professional skier, this was a bad articular fracture that could have caused significant discomfort.” He stated, “We used a plate with screws that will stay on the bone.
Goggia’s personal coach, Luca Agazzi, recalled the difficult moments. “We were honoring the recuperation period in the middle of the previous season. Sofia was resilient and unharmed, but she found the injury difficult psychologically.
Her athletic trainer and physiotherapist, Matteo Artina, concurred. Finding motivation in oneself and others around you is essential after an injury. Throughout this procedure, Sofia shown excellent character and stability, he noted.
Goggia’s close collaborator Artina explained the emotional healing procedure. “We started working without loading the right leg after the procedure. “Getting rid of the crutches and beginning to cycle were big accomplishments,” he said. During this time, Artina’s affiliation with Red Bull was crucial to their contribution. Goggia received the tools and encouragement she required from their support to maintain her motivation and concentration.
The progress of the recovery was positive, according to Dr. Panzeri. We kept a close eye on developments at all times. A CT scan and X-ray taken early in June revealed good results. “Our testing was validated by Sofia’s positive emotions,” he said.