Australian freestyle skier Laura Peel hurts knee in Winter Olympics training camp

By: The Associated Press Posted: 7:21 AM CST Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026

AIROLO, Switzerland (AP) — Australian freestyle skier Laura Peel hurt her knee in a training camp ahead of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, raising doubts about her participation in a fourth Games.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/02/2026 (242 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The 36-year-old Peel is a two-time world champion and one of the favorites to win the women’s aerials.

She sustained the injury in Switzerland on Monday, the Australian team said in a statement, and had a scan at a sports specialist clinic.

Australia's Reilly Flanagan, centre, smiles with his teammates Laura Peel, left, and Abbey Willcox, at the AIS European Training Centre in Gavirate, on the Varese lake, northern Italy, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

“She has returned to the training camp in Airolo, Switzerland where she’ll be treated by the team physio to determine next steps,” the team said Tuesday.

The women’s aerials qualification starts on Feb. 17.

Peel has never won an Olympic medal. She was one of the favorites in aerials in Beijing in 2022 but finished in fifth place, and was also at Pyeongchang in 2018 and Sochi in 2014.