Featured Image: Elena Curtoni races to victory in the Val di Fassa Super-G. Photo: GEPA Pictures
Some decisions are tougher than they look from the outside.
For Elena Curtoni, returning for another season wasn’t automatic. It wasn’t driven by one result or one conversation. It was a decision she made, questioned, reconsidered, and ultimately came back to after a difficult summer that began with a significant ankle injury.
Now, the Italian speed star has made it official.
Curtoni will return for the 2026-27 World Cup season—her final campaign in alpine ski racing.
“I’ve come back to share with you the decision I’ve made. For some it was obvious, but for me it was anything but,” Curtoni wrote on social media.
“It wasn’t an easy summer. I got injured right at the beginning of preparation, but I put myself back on the line with new doubts and new goals. After all, if it were easy, everyone would do it.
“Now I can finally say it with peace of mind: I’ll be in the start gate for the 2026-27 season.
“It will be my last season. I can’t wait to enjoy every moment of it.”
For ski racing, it’s welcome news.
Curtoni has never been the loudest personality on the World Cup circuit, but she has quietly built one of the sport’s most respected careers. Few athletes have demonstrated the resilience she has over the past decade. She has repeatedly fought back from injuries, setbacks, and disappointment while continuing to prove she belongs among the world’s best speed skiers.
The 35-year-old has started 291 World Cup races, earning four victories—two in downhill and two in super-G—along with 13 World Cup podiums and 65 top-10 finishes. Her résumé also includes a career-best second place in the 2022 Super-G World Cup standings, a fifth-place finish in the downhill at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games, and multiple top-five finishes at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
Speaking with Italian journalist Gianmario Bonzi, Curtoni admitted the decision wasn’t as straightforward as many assumed.
“Yes, I’m continuing. It will be my last season,” she said. “At first I made the decision quite quickly, then I questioned everything again and reconsidered it, but in the end I arrived at the same conclusion.”
One moment that helped shape that decision was her emotional victory in Val di Fassa last March—her first World Cup win in more than three years.
“That victory certainly carried weight in my decision, even if it wasn’t the only ingredient. I wanted it so badly. I owed myself that redemption. It confirmed that I’m still there.”
Despite no longer being among the protected elite starting group, Curtoni says her approach remains unchanged.
“It doesn’t change anything for me. I know what I need to do, and I keep doing it.”
Fighting Back—Again
Her offseason has been anything but straightforward.
Curtoni revealed she tore two ligaments in her right ankle shortly after beginning summer training. Recovery took longer than expected because of complications, but after recently returning to snow she says the ankle is finally responding well.
“I’ve been skiing again to test my ankle, and it’s finally giving me some relief. I’m doing well. Obviously I’m still recovering from the injury, but I’ve managed to keep everything under control and continue training.”
It is another chapter in a career that has often demanded patience as much as speed.
After missing nearly the entire 2023-24 World Cup season through injury, Curtoni fought her way back to finish sixth in the Super-G standings and captured an emotional victory in Val di Fassa during the 2025-26 campaign. It was another reminder of something ski racing has learned time and again: counting Elena Curtoni out has rarely been a good idea.
As the Olympic season approaches, Curtoni will have one final opportunity to race on the sport’s biggest stages before closing the chapter on an outstanding career.
Some athletes are remembered for their victories.
Others are remembered for how they responded when things became difficult.
Elena Curtoni will be remembered for both.
Reference: Reporting and interview by Gianmario Bonzi (Fantaski). Career statistics referenced from FIS and World Cup records.
About the Author: Katie Twible
