updated 11:41 a.m. ET Feb. 24, 2006

SESTRIERE, Italy - Anja Paerson will likely require knee surgery at the end of this World Cup season, the Swedish skier’s father and coach said Friday.

“The pain is too much each day, so they have to go and look at what it is,” Anders Paerson said after watching his daughter finish sixth in Friday’s Olympic giant slalom.

Paerson’s left knee hurts the most, though her right knee also bothers her.

“The doctors have to look at the MRI and see what the problem is,” Anders Paerson said. He added that the pain has affected his daughter’s performance this season “a little bit,” particularly on downhill races which include big jumps.

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The plan is for Paerson to have surgery immediately after the season, which ends March 19, and not miss any races next winter.

Paerson won her first Olympic gold medal in Wednesday’s slalom and has five medals overall in her Olympic career. She is the two-time defending overall World Cup champion.

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