Olympic ski star Michelle Gisin will undergo neck surgery after a violent training crash in St. Moritz on Thursday. Mateo Sgambato / Agence Zoom / Getty Images
Another setback hits Switzerland’s Alpine team, as Olympic ski star Michelle Gisin will undergo neck surgery following a violent training crash in St. Moritz on Thursday, dealing a significant blow ahead of the Milan-Cortina Games.
Swiss Ski confirmed in a statement that the two-time Olympic gold medalist “crashed during the second downhill training run in St. Moritz.”
The Obwalden native was evacuated by Rega (Swiss air rescue) helicopter to the Hirslanden Clinic in Zurich with “injuries to her right wrist, left knee and cervical spine.” According to the federation, she will undergo “surgery on her cervical spine there today.”
Despite the severity of the accident, the 32-year-old is reported to be “well under the circumstances” and “can move her arms and legs normally.”
The team added that “further examinations and treatments of the right wrist and left knee can only take place after the cervical spine has been stabilized.”
Visibility was limited during Thursday’s session, and Gisin, traveling at more than 100 km/h (62 mph), lost control and tore through a safety net, The Associated Press reported. She received on-hill medical care and remained conscious throughout.
Her crash occurred while U.S. star Lindsey Vonn was already on the course for her training run. As Gisin received treatment, Vonn was halted but later continued her session.
Following a season in which she earned just two podiums — the latter a third-place slalom finish in Åre, Sweden, in March 2024 — Gisin opted to step away from technical disciplines to dedicate herself fully to speed events. Gisin was set to start the season with downhills scheduled for Friday and Saturday and the super-G on Sunday.
Gisin is the third Olympic champion on the Swiss women’s team to suffer a training crash in the past month, following Lara Gut-Behrami and Corinne Suter, as the Milan-Cortina Olympics approach. They kick off Feb. 6, with women’s Alpine skiing set to open on the famed Cortina d’Ampezzo slope.
