Lauren Macuga, rising U.S. Alpine skier, to miss Olympic year after training injury

Lauren Macuga, the 23-year-old who finished last season as the top American Alpine speed skier, will miss the 2025-26 season after suffering a knee injury in training Friday.

Macuga fell during a training run and injured her ACL, she said on social media. U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced she will need surgery and will miss the season, which includes the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.

“RIP, acl, see you all next year,” Macuga wrote on Instagram.

Mikaela Shiffrin dominates the slalom, but in the fastest two of the four Alpine disciplines — downhill and super-G — Macuga has been the top American, surging into the spotlight in 2024-25. She won her first World Cup race in January, announcing herself as a major medal contender with the Olympics just a year away.

“I don’t even think the nerves have settled,” Macuga said after the race that day in St. Anton, Austria. “I can’t believe it. I’m just waiting for it to hit me, and I know it’s going to. It’s just so exciting. This is a dream.”

She went on to earn a bronze medal in the super-G at the world championships in February. She finished fourth in the World Cup downhill season standings and sixth in the super-G — the top American in each discipline, ahead of Lindsey Vonn and Breezy Johnson.

Vonn’s bid to return to the Olympics at age 41 has dominated the headlines, but Macuga was tracking to be the top U.S. medal hope at February’s Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Macuga comes from a family of Olympic-hopeful skiers, with her sisters Sam and Alli. Sam is a ski jumper, and Alli competes in moguls. Last season was just Alli’s third on the sport’s top circuit.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Olympics, Global Sports, Women's Olympics

2025 The Athletic Media Company