Italian · Bergamo, Italy · Born 15 November 1992Italian downhill specialist who won Olympic gold in 2018 and has claimed four World Cup downhill season titles.
When Sofia Goggia broke her ankle at the end of 2018, only months after her career-defining Pyeongchang downhill gold, most speed skiers would have needed a full season to trust their body on ice again at 130 km/h. She was back on snow within weeks and finished second in her first two races back in January 2019 -- a recovery pace teammates and rivals alike found almost reckless. Nicknamed 'Ninja' for the aggressive, low-margin lines she takes through the fastest sections of a downhill course, Goggia has built her career on exactly this kind of high-risk racing rather than the more conservative approach most speed specialists settle into after a serious injury. It's a style that's produced five World Cup downhill discipline titles across three different Olympic cycles, but also a lengthening injury list of her own. She won her Pyeongchang gold by beating American rival Lindsey Vonn to the season downhill title by a margin of just three points -- one of the closest finishes the discipline has produced -- and has continued adding to her medal collection well into her thirties, taking bronze at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games on home snow, the discipline's biggest stage held in her own country for the first time in her career.
First Italian woman to win Olympic downhill gold
How They Played
Aggressive downhill specialist known for technical precision and fearless racing
Lasting Impact
One of Italy's greatest female downhill skiers and multiple World Cup discipline champion
Career Honours
- Olympic gold (2018 Downhill)
- Olympic silver (2022) & bronze (2026) Downhill
- 4x World Cup downhill champion
Italian Athletes