A race against time begins for ski racer Thomas Dreßen. He is ill – the downhill at the World Cup is on Sunday.
Downhill skier Thomas Dreßen is suffering from a “slight gastrointestinal infection” and is worried about his start at the Alpine World Ski Championships in France.
As team doctor Manuel Köhne announced, the 29-year-old five-time World Cup winner has been complaining of symptoms since Monday. “We immediately isolated him from the rest of the team. You don’t want to take any risks in a major event,” Köhne continued.
Three test runs until Sunday
At least one training session is mandatory before each descent. The first of three test runs is scheduled for the men’s team in Courchevel on Wednesday. It is unclear how quickly Dreßen’s recovery is progressing. “He’s stabilized. It’s certainly nothing bad,” said the team doctor.
National coach Christian Schwaiger was much more pessimistic: “I know that he is physically very weak. Normal training will certainly not be possible.” On Friday and Saturday, the downhill skiers will have more training sessions before the medals are up for grabs on Sunday.
Dreßen draft horse despite injury
Before the illness, a training accident in the previous week had already prevented Dreßen from preparing optimally for the World Cup. As the German Ski Association also announced, Dreßen fell during training. “Tom had complained of pain in his (previously damaged) right knee and the (previously damaged) left shoulder. Fortunately, nothing bad came of it,” reported Köhne, speaking of “a bruise” in each case.
Despite his long injury break, which cost Dreßen the entire previous season, the 29-year-old is considered the driving force of the German speed team.