Tommaso Sala knee injury, Digi Mart USA News (Gurgl, Austria): Italian skier Tommaso Sala is facing another serious setback, a new injury that follows the one that struck him two years ago. Once again, a training session proved to be the source of the problem.
During a test session in Gurgl, Austria, after only a few gates from the start, Sala reported a sharp pain in his knee and stopped at the side of the course without even falling. He was immediately reminded of Val Senales, where on November 21, 2024, he tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee during a training run.
Although the affected knee this time is the right one, there is a concern that the trauma could be the same. Initial examinations carried out in Sölden revealed a distorting trauma to the right knee, which will be evaluated by the FISI medical commission in the coming days.
The suspicion is another cruciate ligament injury.
The 31-year-old from Brianza had been away from the slopes for a full year, going through a long rehabilitation and recovery phase before returning to competition in November 2025. His performance at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics was disappointing, as he made an error on a double jump and failed to qualify for the second run.
After that race, Sala told Rai microphones: “It is sport, it is made of highs and lows. In my life I have been through many things, many injuries, many problems.
You always have to keep your head up and never give up, because those who stop are lost, and these are not clichés.” He added: “I hope for a future slightly more peaceful than what I have gone through so far, but if everything were easy, life would also be less interesting.”
Those words now sound especially prophetic, as the unexpected has once again knocked on his door and placed him before a new and complicated challenge. Further tests will define the precise clinical situation, but the early signs are not encouraging, and Sala’s medical history does not suggest an optimistic outlook.
Meanwhile, Italian skiing continues. Technical director Max Carca has announced the athletes selected for the slalom in Levi this weekend.
Seven athletes will compete for Italy: Alex Vinatzer, Tommaso Saccardi, Matteo Canins, Edoardo Saracco, Tobias Kastlunger, Corrado Barbera and Matteo Bendotti.
