Swiss ski star Lara Gut-Behrami’s Olympics in doubt after injuring knee in training fall in Colorado

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Ski star Lara Gut-Behrami has damaged her left knee during training in the United States, the Swiss team said Friday, in what could potentially be a career-ending injury.

The 34-year-old Olympic champion in super-G and two-time overall World Cup winner has targeted the Winter Games in February in what she has said is her last season before retiring.

Gut-Behrami is returning to Switzerland for medical examinations after falling in super-G training Thursday at Copper Mountain in Colorado, the Swiss ski federation said in a statement.

Initial tests showed a left knee injury, the federation said without more details.

Swiss daily Blick reported the injury is a suspected ACL tear for the three-time Olympic medalist.

Gut-Behrami tore her left ACL at the 2017 world championships held on Swiss snow in St. Moritz when she crashed in warmups for the slalom run in the combined event after placing third in the downhill that morning.

She was due to compete at her fourth Olympics in February, when women’s Alpine skiing races will be held at Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy. She missed the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games because of a serious hip injury.

Four of Gut-Behrami’s 48 career World Cup race wins have been at Cortina’s picture postcard course in the Dolomites mountains. She also took gold there in super-G and giant slalom at the 2021 worlds, plus bronze in downhill.

She started this season well with a third-place finish in a giant slalom last month at Soelden, Austria.

Gut-Behrami has said she intends to retire and move to England where her husband, former Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami, works in the front office at second-tier club Watford where he used to play.

___

AP Winter Olympics at https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics