By Simon Evans
YANQING, China (Reuters) – Defending Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia, whose dreams of Beijing gold were threatened by a serious knee injury, says she is back on skis and preparing to fly to China.
The Italian, who was injured in a crash during a World Cup race at Cortina d’Ampezzo on Jan. 23, posted a video on social media showing her on skis on a slope.
“Today I got back on skis and it was great,” she wrote on Facebook.
“How much work in these two weeks, how many wounds to heal, how much effort … but how much desire to make it. I have always been able to focus on the goal and have never given up on myself,” she said.
“I will fly to China soon. And from there everything will have to be built. Turn after turn. As always,” she added.
Goggia won gold in downhill at Pyeongchang in 2018 and has been the dominant force on the World Cup circuit making her strong favourite to defend her medal in Beijing.
The women’s downhill race is scheduled for Feb. 15 but Goggia could also feature in the super-G four days earlier.
(Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
