GENEVA (AP)—Olympic downhill champion Didier Defago has returned to the ski slopes seven months after injuring his left knee in offseason training.

The 33-year-old Swiss syar successfully completed his first runs on snow Monday after missing the entire World Cup season to recover from ruptured knee ligaments.

Defago tells Swiss daily Le Matin it was a pleasure to finally ski again, and he’s “very hungry” to resume top-level racing. In the 2010 Vancouver Games, Defago’s downhill victory was Switzerland’s first Olympic gold medal in men’s Alpine skiing in 22 years.