Alpine skiing-Norway suffer second blow as Moeller injured in training run

BORMIO, Italy, Feb 4 - Norway suffered a second blow this week as racer Fredrik Moeller was taken to hospital after crashing in the men’s first downhill training run at the Milano Cortina Olympics on Wednesday.

Norway, usually among the leading contenders in men’s alpine skiing, have already lost Aleksander Aamodt Kilde to injury.

The 25-year-old Moeller, with a Bormio gold in super-G under his belt from the 2024 World Cup, dislocated his left shoulder, team doctor Trond Floberghagen said in a statement.

He suffered no other injuries and treatment has gone well, but it is still unclear if Moeller will participate in the Games.

Kilde, who made his comeback from injury earlier this season after nearly two years on the sidelines, pulled out of the Olympics on Tuesday after failing to regain full fitness.

The 33-year-old won a bronze medal in the super-G at the 2022 Beijing Games.

The timing of Moeller’s crash was not great for the Norwegian team’s spirit, said racer Adrian Smiseth Sejersted, who was still looking ahead optimistically.

“Now we're at least two guys,” Sejersted said after his training run, referring to himself and teammate Simen Sellaeg. “Two guys is much more than one. But yeah, we should be three and four and five (skiers).”

The infamously steep Stelvio slope has not become any more nerve-wracking for the 31-year-old Olympian, however.

"I think this is the easiest downhill in Bormio I've ever done,” he said of the friendlier snow conditions, “In December it's always super, super icy and extremely challenging.”

The men's downhill is scheduled for February 7. REUTERS