Slovak skier Petra Vlhová has had the hardest test of her career. After two years full of pain, operations and radical life changes, she stood again at the start of the Olympic slalom, but the road to this moment was extremely difficult. According to the information of the portal, her significantly the man helped, because of whom she left her beloved Liptov for a while.
It’s no secret that Petra was going through a difficult period. It all started with a serious injury during the World Cup in Jasna, when you January 20, 2024 she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee in the fall. Shortly afterwards, she traveled to Switzerland, where she underwent the necessary surgery. Another blow came a few months later, as doctors discovered that he had damaged cartilage and in March 2025, she had to undergo another procedure.
Returning to skiing was not only about endless hours of training, but mainly about a radical change in lifestyle. Difficult convalescence and the desire to compete again finally forced Petra to make a decision that surprised many people. In order to be sure of the best care, she had to take a decisive step and leave Liptovský Mikuláš.
Bratislava became her new home, thanks to which she was able to be in continuous contact with a recognized physiotherapist, in whose hands she placed her entire sporting future. “I still love Liptáček, but I had to move to Bratislava due to rehabilitation with Milan Gašpárek. I currently live there and we’ll see what life brings,” she stated for the sports website during the preparation for the 2026 Olympics.
Her functional knee is the result of endless toil in a specialized center, where she spent whole days in manual therapy and precise strength training. After two years of painful recovery, the moment of truth came on the slope in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Although 20th place in the Olympic slalom may not sound like a triumph to some, for our skier it was a victory over her own body. At the finish line, she did not hide her great emotion and revealed to the whole world that her return was not a coincidence, but the sacrifice of a specific man. “First of all, it’s my team and my coach Maťko, my physiotherapists Kristián and Milan. But thanks to Milan, I can be here. He saved my knee, so I’m very grateful to him.” she confessed to STVR Petra after the 2nd round of slalom.
