The 23-year-old announces that she will miss the season opener at Beitostølen this year, just like last year, but this time it’s actually good news.

Helene Marie Fossesholm will miss the season opener at Beitostølen in two weeks. However, it means little to the 23-year-old, who faced every athlete’s nightmare when she injured herself in a sponsor soccer match at the beginning of September. Her kneecap dislocated, and her entire season was hanging by a thread.

At best, Fossesholm would have to spend six weeks on crutches. At worst, surgery would be required.

After weeks of patience and rehabilitation, she now has an answer on her status.

“I have very good news for myself, and that is that I don’t need surgery,” Fossesholm wrote on social media Tuesday evening.

So, missing the season opener is no big deal.

“It’s good to finally get an answer after eight weeks of uncertainty. I’ve trained as well as I could the entire time, been meticulous with exercises, and have had good progress—much more than I could expect. I’ll keep working, so there will be ski races not too far off,” Fossesholm wrote.

“Unfortunately, the opening races at Beitostølen are a bit early, but I’m aiming for after Christmas. That gives me some time to train up my knee and leg and regain confidence on snow. I’m really looking forward to being ‘back in business.’”

Read more: Horrific injury for Fossesholm 

On the Road to a Comeback

After several troubled seasons, Fossesholm was cut from the national team in April. It became an opportunity for a real restart.

The 23-year-old assembled her own support team, returned to her father, Øivind Fossesholm, as her coach, and a few months later, Fossesholm finally looked to be on her way to a comeback. Over a couple of weeks in August, the Eiker native made the podium more times than in the last three seasons combined.

Fossesholm was beaming when she spoke with Langrenn.com after finishing third overall in the Toppidrettsveka.

Read more: Johaug considers dropping the World Championship