Kober had successfully fought a two-and-a-half-year battle against a knee injury, having torn her cruciate ligament in June 2015.

Three months earlier, in March 2015, she had broken a bone in her left hand in a fall at the season finals in Winterberg in Germany, a fracture that required several screws.

Now, just when things were looking up, a broken ankle will sideline her for a lengthy period of time.

She fell during a snow session with the national team of Snowboard Germany to leave the raceboarder distraught.

The two-time Olympic medallist crashed in a training run and broke her left ankle.

The mother-of-one underwent a successful operation the very same day at the Schön Klinik München Harlaching.

"Some parts of the bone have been removed, some have been fixed with screws," said Kober.

However, she has not yet ruled out appearing at Pyeongchang 2018 in February.

The most successful German snowboarder's dream of participating at the Winter Games, for what would be her fourth Olympics, may yet still be alive.

"There is a slight chance to make it to Pyeongchang if I'm able to compete in January and bring home the results I need," she said.

"But I was also told that my injury is a complex one and nothing to be taken easy."

That said, a possible career's end is also not seen by her as being on the agenda: "I'm not thinking of anything like this."

With a perfect healing process given, Kober might be able to stress her foot - which is currently protected by a special shoe - in six weeks again.