Erika Pykäläinen, a 24-year-old Finnish alpine skier, has learned that her dreams of competing in the Olympics have been crushed following an injury to her left knee. Results from subsequent examinations at a hospital in the Olympic city of Cortina d'Ampezzo revealed that she has sustained damage to her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). This injury will require a significant recovery period, and Ski Sport Finland has confirmed that she will be sidelined for the rest of the season.

Alongside Pykäläinen's unfortunate news, Ski Sport Finland announced the withdrawal of the Finnish women's national ski team from team events. Initially, Rosa Pohjolainen and Silja Koskinen were set to compete in the team event, but the coaching staff decided it was in the athletes' best interest to focus entirely on their individual events instead. Head coach Johanna Tikkanen explained that given the intense competition landscape and challenging conditions, it was better for the athletes to concentrate on their main disciplines.

Pohjolainen, who finished 28th in yesterday's downhill event, is still scheduled to compete in the super-G event on Thursday, as well as next week's competitions. The decision to pull the women from the team event highlights the strategic considerations within the Finnish team, emphasizing personal performance focus over team events in light of current challenges faced by the athletes.