BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Olympic giant slalom champion Petra Vlhova has been given the green light to resume full-intensity training following a lengthy injury layoff and is targeting a return at next month’s Milano Cortina Winter Games.
The 30-year-old Vlhova, who claimed slalom gold at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, suffered a major setback in January 2024 when she fell during a giant slalom on home snow in Jasna, tearing ligaments in her knee.
After undergoing two surgeries, Vlhova has been out of competition for nearly two years but is now preparing to make a full comeback.
I’ve just completed a medical check-up and, based on the results, my medical team and physiotherapists have cleared me for full skiing intensity,” Slovakia’s Vlhova said in a video posted on Instagram.
“After two very challenging years, this is truly wonderful news for me. Given the current situation, it might sound a bit crazy but despite how little time is left until the Olympics, I’ve decided to fight for the chance to compete,” Vlhova added according to Reuters.
“I can’t guarantee that I will reach this goal but I can promise you that I will do my absolute best every day to earn the chance to be part of the Slovak Olympic team.”
Vlhova added that she would monitor her body’s response after increasing the intensity of her training and make a final call on her Olympic participation 48 hours before the slalom race.
Elsewhere, two-time Olympic champion Eileen Gu shrugged off a fall to secure her second consecutive slopestyle title at the Laax Open.
Gu had already clinched victory before launching her second run. After regaining her composure on the slope, Gu skied steadily to the finish, seemingly uninjured. She smiled and waved to the cameras as she joined second-placed Marin Hamill of the US and third-placed Lara Wolf of Austria on the podium.
“I´m OK,” Gu said. “I don´t really like taking a victory lap, so I wanted to just do something to keep pushing and show my best out here. But that´s the sport, sometimes you fall, so it´s OK.”
Slopestyle is the only event where Gu fell short of gold at the Beijing Games four years ago and will enter the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month as the favorite to add it to her Olympic medals collection. She claimed gold in halfpipe and big air – in addition to her silver in slopestyle – in 2022.
The American-born star who competes for China went last in the lineup thanks to her leading qualifying score. She didn’t need to land the second run after nobody surpassed the 85.13, she earned over her flawless opening trip through the course’s rails and jumps.
