Alpine Skiing
Why the unstoppable Sofia Goggia is aiming higher than ever
Italy’s courageous multidisciplinary skiing sensation has had a tougher road than many, but in 2025/26 and beyond, she’s setting her sights at even greater glory.
At 32 years old, Sofia Goggia is the most successful Italian skier ever in downhill, and she isn’t done yet. After starting out in 2011, shr has her sights set on 2026, and beyond. It’s an inspiration in skiing, and pretty much for life in general.
A quick run down of her accomplishments so far: that’s two (2) Olympic medals, including the first for an Italian woman; and four World Cup downhill titles. As well as another medal on her sport's biggest stage, this year her goals include giving “100 percent of what I have every day.” We get the feeling she wouldn’t have it any other way.
From humble beginnings to campaigning on the world stage, here is her journey so far.
Aiming high
Sofia Goggia with one of her crystal globes
© Erich Spiess/ASP/Red Bull Content Pool
It takes a lot of practice to be the best. Thankfully, Goggia started young, strapping on her first pair of skis at the age of just three years old. It helps that she grew up in the Foppolo commune in the Lombardy region of Italy. It’s difficult to imagine somewhere more beautiful, or more suited to learning the ropes.
For Goggia, it was a happy childhood, skiing with friends and family. As you might guess, it quickly became apparent she had something special, and by the age of 19 she'd made her FIS World Cup debut. Her highest results were 112th in downhill, and 75th in super-G. It didn’t exactly set the world alight, but for the teenage Goggia it was enough to confirm that she had found her life’s path.
Taking it international
Sofia Goggia pushing it to the limit
© Erich Spiess/ASP/Red Bull Content Pool
By 2013 she had four giant slalom World Cup starts to her name – but no finishes. Despite this, she showed promise and was promoted to the the Italian women's team for the 2013 World Championships in Schladming, Austria. The chance was all she needed; she claimed two top-10 finishes, alongside a fourth place in the super G, and seventh place in the super combined.
Her first World Cup podium followed three years later, in November 2016 when she placed third in giant slalom at Killington, Vermont. With a bronze in hand, Goggia’s supporters knew it was just a matter of time before she achieved a gold. They didn’t have to wait long; her first World Cup win came in March 2017 at Jeongseon, South Korea, when she dominated the downhill.
Goggia didn’t stop there. The following day she backed up her win with a gold in super-G – her 11th WC podium of the season, and the fourth time overall that she had gained multiple podiums at the same race venue.
In what was to be a season to remember, Goggia cemented her then best season to date with 1,197 World Cup points, 13 podiums in four different disciplines, and a fantastic third place overall.
Downhill ascent
Goggia celebrates a double in Crans-Montana
© Erich Spiess/ASP/Red Bull Content Pool
Goggia followed this up with consecutive WC downhill wins at Bad Kleinkirchheim and Cortina d'Ampezzo in January 2018. From there, she received the ultimate honour, being called up to represent her country in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. The stakes had increased, but Goggia’s resolve didn’t falter. When called upon, she comfortably claimed gold, also taking the World Cup season title in downhill, earning her a nomination for the Laureus World Sports Award for Breakthrough of the Year.
The glow of victory was short-lived. A broken ankle sidelined Goggia for much of the following season, but in June of 2019 she was named as ambassador for Italy’s successful bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. And, after a diplomatic win, she was back on her skis, doing what she does best: taking two super-G podiums in St Moritz and a second place in Sochi in 2020. But injury haunted her again and in February of that year she took a tumble during the super-G race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, fracturing her left arm and prematurely ending her season.
Back on top
Goggia takes the acclaim after sealing her third downhill title
© Erich Spiess/Red Bull Content Pool
After bad luck and injuries, Goggia was back at it by December 2020, claiming her first World Cup victory in nearly two years on the Oreiller-Killy slope in Val d’Isère, France. In January of the following year she took first place in St Anton, Austria, alongside back-to-back wins on the Mont Lachaux course in Crans-Montana – a terrific streak that saw her become the first woman to win four consecutive downhill races since Lindsey Vonn did it in 2018.
Unfortunately for the accident-prone Goggia, she fell again later that January, fracturing her right knee which saw her sidelined until March, when she became World Cup downhill champion once again. The following year she went one better, winning all three races at Lake Louise, Canada, for her first career hat-trick.
Then, injury reared its head again when she suffered another knee injury after crashing in the Cortina d'Ampezzo Super-G in January 2022. Despite having to miss flag-bearing duties in Beijing that February, she was well enough to compete in the downhill, claiming silver – her second consecutive Olympic medal in the event.
Three first-place FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup events and four more podiums followed across the across the 2023-24 season, with a eight podiums the following year, including a super-G win in Beaver Creek, a downhill win on home snow in Cortina.
Home turf
Goggia wants to be fast out of the gate in 2025-26
© EXPA/Johann Groder/Red Bull Content Pool
Goggia began 2025 with yet another injury, crashing at high speed during the final day of downhill training at the World Championships in Saalbach, Austria in February. Luckily, after landing awkwardly from a jump in the lower section of the Ulli Maier course, she managed to ski to the finish line on her own, and ultimately escaped injury. "I took a risk on that jump..Luckily, nothing serious happened. Clearly, it's never nice to fall at 120kph," she said after the incident.
Now, injury-free after breaking her right ankle and tibia in 2024, she’s looking ahead to her biggest challenge yet, representing her sport and her nation on home turf in summer 2026. She’s in training in South America, looking more focused than ever having cut pasta from her diet. So determined is Goggia to put her best foot forward that she’s even analysing her gear selection from the ground-up. “We had an excellent training camp in South America. In the first part, I focused on technical work in Ushuaia, and then in La Parva we focused more on speed. We brought out the skis, the models, the constructions, the sidecuts. It’s a completely different situation compared to last year,” she said.
Part of these training includes work in the gym and on the track: hurdles, stairs, rows, cleans, attack bikes and more. She’s basically the real Italian Rocky. If Rocky was a skier, that is.
Whatever happens this season, it won’t be the end of her story. “When they announced the World Championships in Crans-Montana for 2027, I said to myself, ‘Since I’ve won everything there is to win in downhill except for a Worlds medal, I’ll give myself another chance until Crans-Montana 2027’ - if my body holds up and my mind stays motivated,” she explained of her decision to chase a fifth downhill globe to go alongside her 26 World Cup victories.
Yet even that is not set in stone. Goggia’s career has been exceptional, but she knows better than most that the fortunes of a skier can change at the drop of a hat, for better or worse. If there’s still gas in the tank after Crans-Montana, there’s every chance that Goggia can keep on. “There’s no point setting expiration dates for something that could continue if approached the right way,” she says.
Fast facts
