Anna Gasser is on the road to recovery after a nasty sounding surfing injury. Photo: Anna Gasser // Instagram
Surfing just managed to make it into the Olympics. The event first appeared in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games, and then made a dramatic reappearance at Teahupo’o for Paris 2024. However, while the sport’s inclusion has given a host of surfers a newfound opportunity to appear in the Olympic Games, the pastime may already be hurting some other athletes’ chances at Olympic gold. Olympic champion snowboarder Anna Gasser recently underwent surgery to treat injuries she incurred while riding waves.
The 33-year-old Austrian is most famous for her performance in Big Air events. She won Olympic gold at Beijing 2022 and Pyeongchang 2018. That’s on top of an already impressive record of 20 Big Air World Cup podium appearances, 13 career World Cup wins and 31 World Cup podiums. However, while her prowess in the snow is undeniable, her recent attempt at water sports didn’t go so well.
The incident occurred while Gasser was surfing in Munich, Germany, home of both the world-famous (and often dangerous) Eisbach river wave and the more recently developed o2 Surftown MUC wave pool. As Olympics.com reports, she briefly dislocated her shoulder, which led to a labral tear and biceps tendon injury. Last week, she underwent surgery to stabilize the shoulder.
“Crazy how everything can change in a second.” wrote Gasser on Instagram. “Had a freak accident surfing and dislocated my shoulder. Decided to fix it right away to be 100 percent again for next season. Sad that my summer plans changed and that I’m forced to watch from the sidelines for now. But I’ll try to make the best out of it and come back strong.”
With the 2026 Olympic Winter Games on the horizon, this development will mean a change of plans for Gasser. While she had initially planned on snow training in Australia for the summer, she will now shift her focus to Europe. From there, she will go on to defend her title in Milano Cortina.
“Even though it isn’t easy for me, I will have to be patient for now,” Gasser told Ski Austria. “After that, I will concentrate on training and compete in selected World Cup competitions so that I can travel to the Olympic Games in Italy optimally prepared.”
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