Best skier in the world Federica Brignone suffers heavy fall on the slope

(Patria) - Italian Federica Brignone (34), newly crowned overall winner of the World Cup in skiing, suffered multiple leg fractures after falling today while racing a giant slalom at the Italian Championships.

Brignone lost control of her skis on the slope in Val di Fassa and fell heavily. She was then airlifted by helicopter to a nearby hospital in Trento.

The Italian Winter Sports Federation announced that she had a "multi-fragmentary complex fracture of the tibia and head of the fibula in her left leg, and that she will be transferred to Milan for further tests and a decision on appropriate surgery."

Media report that Brignone will be out of action for several months ahead of the Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina next year, where she is considered a key home favorite.

Brignone also won gold in the giant slalom at the World Championships in February, and capped a fantastic season by adding the small globes in giant slalom and downhill to her collection.