Val Grenier likely to have shoulder surgery after crashing in World Cup super-G
A smile that no one could wipe off the face of Val Grenier for much of Friday was gone Sunday.
About 48 hours after earning her fourth career World Cup podium finish and first in downhill, the Canadian skier crashed in the women’s super-G event in Italy.
Grenier was taken off the course by toboggan after receiving lengthy medical treatment. She suffered a shoulder injury and “will likely require surgery,” according to Alpine Canada.
She also didn’t finish Saturday’s downhill on on the course that will be used for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
WATCH | Grenier crashes in Sunday’s super-G in Italy:
After winning a bronze medal in Friday’s downhill race at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Val Grenier of St-Isidore, Ont., crashed hard Sunday in the super-G race and was removed off the course by toboggan.
Sunday’s incident conjured memories of Grenier’s horrific crash in February 2019 during a training run at the alpine world championships in Åre, Sweden, where the native of St-Isidore, Ont., broke her right leg in four places and her right ankle travelling about 130 kilometres per hour.
Grenier needed a second surgery five months later when the bone wasn’t healing properly.
She was back on skis Oct. 17, 2020 following multiple surgeries, physiotherapy and COVID-19, finishing 25th in giant slalom in Sölden, Austria.
WATCH | Grenier suffers mental block upon return from injury:
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After her recovery, Valérie Grenier was excited to get back to skiing but her path was clouded with fear. Worried and ashamed of injury, Grenier decided to focus on what she does best giant slalom.
The mental challenges forced Grenier to abandon thoughts of downhill or super-G and shift to giant slalom, a more technical and slower discipline.
She finished last season with giant slalom bronze in Soldeu, Andorra, seventh in the discipline standings and 25th overall.
Grenier, who has eventually worked her way back to the speed races of super-G and downhill, opened the 2023-24 campaign in October placing seventh in GS in Soelden, Austria.
She was fifth in the event a month later in Killington, Vt., sixth a week later on home snow at Mont-Tremblant, Que., and earlier this month won on the same hill in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia where she celebrated her maiden career win a year ago.
Cassidy Gray of Invermere, B.C.. was 29th among 35 finishers on Sunday in 1:24.21.
American star Mikaela Shiffrin also crashed but avoided major injury Friday while Olympic downhill champion Corinne Suter and Swiss teammate Joana Haehlen had season-ending injuries over the weekend.
Meanwhile, Olympic champion Lara Gut-Behrami is halfway to Lindsey Vonn’s Cortina record after claiming Sunday’s race for her sixth career victory on the Olympia delle Tofane course.
Too bad the 32-year-old Gut-Behrami can’t say for sure yet whether she’ll still be competing in two years at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
In a race when many of the top favourites struggled with a tricky course-set, Gut-Behrami edged Stephanie Venier, Friday’s downhill winner, by 0.21 seconds, posting a time of 1:20.75. Romane Miradoli finished third in 1:21.16.
WATCH | Gut-Behrami secures victory:
Swiss racer Lara Gut-Behrami won Sunday’s super-G World Cup race at Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy with a time of 1:20.75.
“I have very good memories here,” said Gut-Behrami, who has a home in northern Italy. “With all the crashes, really I just tried not to take any risk and just tried to keep in it to the finish. … When you’re winning it’s even better because your skiing is there and it’s solid.”
Asked if she will be back at Cortina next year, Gut-Behrami responded only, “We’ll see.”
A day earlier, Gut-Behrami said she planned to compete through next season’s world championships in Saalbach, Austria.
It was Gut-Behrami’s fourth World Cup win in Cortina, to go with her two gold medals at the 2021 world championships at the Italian resort.
Vonn won 12 World Cup races in Cortina — six downhills and six super-Gs.
Gut-Behrami, who earned her 41st World Cup victory, moved within 195 points of Shiffrin in the overall standings, with the American still out of action at least through Tuesday.
