WENGEN, Switzerland – Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was airlifted to hospital on Jan 13 after crashing at full speed during a World Cup downhill race on the challenging Lauberhorn course in Wengen.
It was the second such incident in as many days at the famous course in the Swiss Alps, with French skier Alexis Pinturault being similarly airlifted away after a crash in the super-G race.
The 32-year-old combined world champion, who became a father a few days ago, came a cropper after a bad landing on a jump and was evacuated by helicopter.
“This victory is for Alexis, for his family. I hope he is OK,” said Cyprien Sarrazin after his second win of the season, and first in super-G for a French skier since Pinturault 10 years ago.
But the French ski federation later confirmed Pinturault’s “season is over” after tests revealed a “ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee”.
A day later, 31-year-old speed specialist Kilde failed to control his sharp turns near the bottom of the course and was catapulted into the safety net running alongside the track.
After a few moments, Kilde managed to move and received medical treatment before being winched up into a helicopter and transported to a hospital in Bern.
Austrian broadcaster ORF reported that Kilde suffered an open fracture in the lower part of his left leg.
On Jan 14, he posted on social media platform X that the “sport can be brutal, but I still love it”.
Said Austria’s head coach Marko Pfeifer: “You can see how much strength the competitors need in this sport. And Aleks lacked it.
“This is not normal, because he is the strongest skier in the world.”
Head of Norway’s alpine ski team Claus Ryste added: “Today I have the feeling that everything is clearly too much. Also, because it wasn’t just Aleks who fell today.
“Maybe we went beyond our capabilities. We don’t want all these injuries, so we have to do everything to prevent them.”
Switzerland's Marco Odermatt won the Jan 13 race, finishing 0.59 of a second ahead of Sarrazin. Dominik Paris from Italy came third, trailing Odermatt by 1.92sec.
Odermatt, Sarrazin and Paris were disappointed at having three speed races on consecutive days on such a demanding hill, culminating in the downhill classic.
Said Odermatt: “This is really not normal... I hope this was the last time. Never again three matches in a row. This is not a criticism of the organisers.
“But I hope that this will be an important school for all organisers, federations, including FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation), that they will learn that more does not always mean better.”
Sarrazin, meanwhile, told Swiss broadcaster RTS: “Again, it’s a bad feeling like with Alexis yesterday.
“It’s three days of racing here and we finish with the longest (race). Three days is really hard physically.”
Paris added: “Certainly the races require the last atoms of our strength.
“But somewhere we have to make up for what was lost and we are happy to be able to compete.
“On the other hand, of course, you wonder if it is really necessary to ride so many races in one end of the week. I don’t think the double ski course is ideal.”
However, 2021 world champion in the downhill and super-G, Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria, and compatriot Otmar Striedinger saw things differently.
Kriechmayr said: “Of course, the load with three races in a row is big, but we also train in the summer. That’s a bad excuse.
“It just didn’t work out and I don’t think the loads are too bad.”
Striedinger added: “Our sport is dangerous, and I don’t think it’s any more dangerous at the moment than in recent years.
“It’s probably a combination of unfortunate circumstances that some really great competitors have fallen badly right now.” REUTERS, AFP
