Kronplatz test key as Italy's Federica Brignone eyes Milano Cortina Games

Italy’s Federica Brignone said decisions on racing before, during and after next month's Winter Olympics would be taken day-by-day as she returns to competition on Tuesday in the World Cup giant slalom in Kronplatz, Italy after a long injury layoff.

The head of the Italian Olympic Committee said last month Brignone would take part in the Olympics, which the 35-year-old described as the "big goal" of her season.

“From here, the plan is to go back to Cortina and continue training. If I feel like doing other races before the Olympics, I will do them. If I don’t feel like it, I won’t,” Brignone told reporters on Tuesday.

“The same applies to the Olympics and after the Olympics. We’ll continue with our programme week-by-week, day-by-day."

The twice overall World Cup champion is set to race for the first time since suffering fractures to her left tibia and fibula in a giant slalom crash at the Italian championships last April, an injury that ruled her out for more than nine months.

“We have a general idea of the programme, but it depends entirely on how tomorrow goes — not in terms of results, but in terms of pain, sensations and whether I’m able to sustain a race,” Brignone said.

The Italian described her build-up as a series of physical tests rather than a conventional preparation.

“I’m here to test my body, especially my leg,” she said. “I’m definitely not here for a big result, but for a big result for myself. Just being able to race will already be a big success.”

Brignone said she had not experienced a pain-free day since the injury, with discomfort affecting her tibia, knee and surrounding areas in daily life and on snow.

“I haven’t had a single day since I got injured without pain,” she said. “Some days it’s worse, some days it’s a bit better, and there were days when I couldn’t ski at all.”

Brignone said she returned to skiing in December but initially struggled when switching back to race equipment.

“When I put my giant slalom skis back on, it was a disaster at the beginning,” she said. “After a couple of weeks, I started to see a bit of light, but it’s been really tough.”

Brignone added that her training programme has been limited, with minimal time in gates and no exposure to high-risk terrain.

“This hasn’t been a real preparation — it’s been a series of tests,” she said.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot in Paris; Editing by Ken Ferris)