Downhill skier Tereza Nova has been brought out of a medically induced coma nearly four weeks after suffering a crash during training for a World Cup race, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) announced on Thursday.
“Following a severe brain injury, she was gradually awakened from artificial sleep and will be transported from the trauma clinic in Germany back to the Czech Republic today,” the FIS stated in an update from the Czech team.
The 27-year-old Nova crashed on January 24 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, while preparing for a downhill race. Her accident was one of several serious head injuries this season, including French skier Cyprien Sarrazin’s crash in Bormio, Italy, which required surgery, and the tragic death of Italian prospect Matilde Lorenzi after a training accident.
Nova underwent surgery to relieve brain swelling and also suffered a fractured eye socket.
“After the brain swelling and bleeding subsided, she was stable enough for us to begin waking her up slowly, in consultation with our neurosurgery colleagues,” said Markus Gruber, one of the doctors who treated her at a clinic near Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Her rehabilitation will now continue under medical supervision in the Czech Republic.
Nova has competed in 13 World Cup races but has yet to finish in the top 30. She also participated in four events at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, achieving her best result with a 14th-place finish in the Alpine combined event.
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