Canadian ski jumper Alex Loutitt will not be able to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics due to a knee injury sustained during a Summer Grand Prix event. Loutitt, a world champion in 2023 and a member of Canada’s bronze-winning mixed team at the 2022 Olympics, got injured at the 2026 Olympic jumps in Val di Fiemme, Italy, last Friday. Ski Jumping Canada reported that Loutitt received treatment at a local hospital and will undergo knee surgery in Innsbruck, Austria, this week.
The 21-year-old athlete from Calgary is expected to undergo a one-year rehabilitation process following the surgery before being cleared to resume competitive jumping. Notably, Loutitt made history by becoming the first Canadian ski jumper to claim a world title at both the senior and junior levels. She has also achieved 11 individual World Cup podium finishes, including two wins.
Expressing her disappointment, Loutitt stated, “I am heartbroken that this injury will prevent me from representing Canada at the upcoming Olympic Winter Games. I feel like I’m letting down my family, friends, and teammates as well as the incredible sponsors that have embraced my journey. This is the toughest part for me to accept.” Despite this setback, Loutitt remains optimistic, acknowledging her youth and expressing gratitude for her accomplishments in ski jumping.
In a separate development, Austrian luger Madeleine Egle, a two-time Olympic medallist, will also miss the upcoming Olympics in February due to a 20-month ban for missing doping tests. Egle, who won silver and bronze medals for Austria in the luge team relay at the Beijing and Pyeongchang Olympics, accepted the consequences of her actions and will be ineligible to compete until October 2026.
Egle’s disciplinary case stemmed from her failure to provide doping control samples on three occasions within a year, violating anti-doping regulations. Athletes are required to update their whereabouts in the anti-doping database to facilitate unannounced sample collections. Egle defended her actions, attributing the missed tests to “unfortunate coincidences” rather than an intentional effort to evade testing.
