Late afternoon on December 20th, 2018, Michelle Gisin announced via Twitter that she will not be competing in the upcoming tech races in Courchevel. Her decision to take time off comes after some hard races for her in Val Gardena/Gröden.

Just a few days before she was set to race downhill and super-G on the Saslong track, her brother, Marc Gisin, was in a terrible crash at the venue. He broke ribs and sustained pelvic and back injuries which were discovered after he was airlifted off the downhill course and to a nearby hospital in Bolzano, Italy.

While Marc Gisin is now stable and under hospital care in his home country of Switzerland, Michelle Gisin has decided that the best place for her to be as of now is home with her family.

“The days in Val Gardena were very difficult and energy-consuming for me. Now I feel that I want to be near Marc and my family and that I can not start in Courchevel, “she said in an official Swiss Ski Federation statement made on Thursday.