Season over for Olympic champion Gisin

Olympic alpine combined champion Michelle Gisin will miss the FIS Alpine World Championships and the rest of the World Cup season after suffering knee ligament damage in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Gisin – who won gold in Pyeongchang last year – crashed during Saturday's super-G in the German resort, and scans have confirmed she will need surgery on her right knee.

The Swiss ski federation confirmed Gisin had suffered cartilage damage and an anterior cruciate ligament strain in the accident, with the 25-year-old opting for an operation to fix the problem.

"Of course it hurts a lot to prematurely finish the season," said Gisin. "However, I am also aware that I have had no serious injuries requiring surgery over the past eight years.

"I was able to experience so much and have been lucky to stay healthy in much more decisive moments.

"Therefore, it is not so difficult for me to accept this injury and see it as a chance for some quiet time."

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well...what can i tell you? i have been lucky the past eight years. i had the chance to give 200% everyday for my dreams and i think i missed two world cup races in all this time. i met so many people and i could live the best moments and emotions. i was healthy at the key moments like last year in Pyeongchang. Life went always up up up and it became faster and faster. So now it‘ll slow down for a moment. And i am actually grateful for this. It will hurt much see the races from afar but this is the time for other athletes to shine. I‘m in the best hands for my rehab and i have the greatest support anybody can dream of. So i‘m taking this as a big chance to calm down, get a grip of life again and live things i couldn‘t in the last years because i went all in for skiing. But no worries at all, in a couple weeks i‘ll throw these crutches in the trash and i‘ll work my ass off to be back doing what i love with the greatest athletes on earth! Thank you for the love and support! #sockgameonpoint #tookoutthesexyrehabshorts #mysisterworethem18yearsago #icouldevensitonabikefor30minutes #maybeonlyonerotationperminute #butatleastiburned94kcal
A post shared by Michelle Gisin (@michellegisin) on Jan 28, 2019 at 8:08am PST

In an Instagram post, Gisin added: "It will hurt a lot to see the races from afar but this is the time for other athletes to shine."

The World Championships begin in Are, Sweden on February 5.