Freshly crowned overall World Cup skiing champion Federica Brignone crashed during the giant slalom at the Italian championships and was airlifted to a local hospital.

Italian Alpine skier Federica Brignone sustained a displaced, comminuted fracture of the tibial plateau and fibular head in her left leg in a crash in the Italian Championships giant slalom on Thursday, according to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.

Italian Alpine skiing star Federica Brignone is set to start physiotherapy on Friday after having surgery on Thursday on a double leg break she suffered in a nasty crash in Val di Fassa while taking part in the giant slalom in the Italian Assoluti championships,