Petra Vlhova hopes to defend Olympic slalom gold after knee injury but accepts she may not make it

By Canadian Press on September 12, 2025.

Petra Vlhova is confident that she will make it back from a serious knee injury in time to defend her slalom gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in February.

But the standout Slovakian skier still hasn’t returned to on-snow training with the start of the World Cup season six weeks away.

“I would like to be there. But we have to wait, stay positive, and believe that everything will go according to plan,” Vlhova said this week of her status for the Winter Games. “I believe I will be at the start. But for now, that’s written in the stars. I’m looking at it realistically: We have to be honest, it could also happen that the knee won’t respond well.”

The 30-year-old Vlhova, who has been Mikaela Shiffrin’s biggest rival, had her right ACL and meniscus operated on in Jan. 2024 after crashing at her home race in Slovakia. She hasn’t raced since the accident, having announced late last year that she had a setback due to cartilage damage that required “further specialized care.”

“Everything is going according to plan. I feel good, and we are making progress,” Vlhova said at the inauguration of her new museum in Drahovce, Slovakia. “I’m fully training in order to get back in shape and balance out the difference between my injured and healthy leg. Of course, regaining the muscles in the injured leg is really demanding. All we need is time.”

Vlhova’s comments were reported by Slovakian media and confirmed to The Associated Press by her spokeswoman, Lucia Antolova, on Friday.

“I’m fully preparing for my return. I know others are already training on snow, but I don’t feel anything about that. I’m completely fine, focused only on myself,” Vlhova added. “I’m dealing with my own preparation and making sure I can return to top-level skiing as soon as possible. I just have to wait until I can get back on skis. Some things simply can’t be rushed.”

The opening women’s race of the World Cup season will be held in Sölden, Austria, on Oct. 25 and most other top racers have been preparing on snow in South America or New Zealand.

The women’s slalom at the 2026 Olympics — the last skiing race on the schedule — is scheduled for Feb. 18 in Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Vlhova won the slalom at the 2022 Beijing Olympics for Slovakia’s first ever Olympic medal in Alpine skiing. The season before, she claimed the overall World Cup title.

Mauro Pini, who has been Vlhova’s personal coach, announced in March that he was leaving her team. She has not announced a new coach yet.

___

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press