Swiss alpine star Michelle Gisin will have surgery on her cervical spine later today after a serious crash during the second downhill training run in St. Moritz on Thursday.
The 32-year-old two-time Olympic champion lost control at high speed and collided heavily with the safety netting. Traveling at over 110 km/h, Gisin was immediately attended to by medical teams and airlifted by Rega helicopter to a local clinic for initial assessment.
Scans revealed injuries to her right wrist, left knee, and – most concerningly – her cervical spine. She was subsequently transferred by Rega to the renowned Hirslanden Clinic in Zurich, where surgeons will operate on the neck injury this afternoon.
Despite the severity of the crash, the Swiss Ski team and medical staff delivered cautiously positive news: Gisin is in stable condition, retains full movement in all four limbs, and is described as “doing well under the circumstances.” Further treatment of the wrist and knee injuries will only begin once the cervical spine has been successfully stabilized.
The Obwalden native’s absence casts a shadow over this weekend’s St. Moritz speed races, where she had been expected to challenge for the podium on home snow. Gisin, the 2021 overall World Cup champion and reigning Olympic combined gold medalist, now faces a lengthy rehabilitation process.
Messages of support have poured in from across the ski racing world. American greats Mikaela Shiffrin and Lindsey Vonn were among the first to react on social media, with Shiffrin writing “❤️🩹❤️🩹❤️🩹 thinking of you” and Vonn adding “Sending lots of love 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻.”
The entire alpine community joins in wishing Michelle Gisin a swift and complete recovery.
