Swedish alpine skier Axel Lindqvist, a rising talent on the World Cup circuit, has suffered a severe setback after breaking his lower leg during training. The 23-year-old from Sundsvall, Sweden, announced the injury on June 1 via Instagram, posting from his hospital bed in Grenoble, France.
“Managed to completely snap my lower leg during training a few days ago (0/10, wouldn’t recommend) and after some complex surgery and a whole lot of pain, the future is starting to look a bit brighter,” Lindqvist wrote, alongside an X-ray showing fractures to both the tibia and fibula. “Especially thanks to everyone that’s got my back during these days. And even if I currently don’t know when, it’s just like Arnold said: I’ll be back,” he added, alluding to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s famous line from the Terminator movie. The injuries required surgical stabilization with a medullary nail and wire cerclage.
The accident comes at a pivotal moment for Lindqvist, who has been steadily building his career on the international stage. He made his World Cup debut in the slalom at Kitzbühel in January 2023 and also competed in Schladming later that month. Though he did not yet advance to a second run at the elite level, Lindqvist has delivered solid performances on the European Cup circuit, including 61 starts and a career-best 7th place finish in Berchtesgaden in January 2024.
Lindqvist was also part of the gold-medal-winning Swedish team in the mixed alpine skiing event at the Torino 2025 FISU Games in Bardonecchia, alongside teammates Stella Rodling Swanberg and Regina Falk.
While the road to recovery will be long and uncertain, Lindqvist remains optimistic. We wish him a speedy recovery.
