There have been several falls in alpine ski races in recent weeks. A prominent name was hit this weekend too.
Marco Schwarz in Bormio, Alexis Pinturault and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in Wengen. Ski racers have suffered serious falls at World Cups several times in recent weeks. The next person got hit in the giant slalom in Jasna, Slovakia.
Olympic champion Petra Vlhová fell during her home World Cup and had to be rescued with the rescue sled. After falling on the very icy and slippery slope, the 28-year-old grabbed her right knee.
Vlhová made a serious inside ski error on the ninth goal. She fell on her back and landed awkwardly in the safety fence. In the finish area, where thousands of fans wanted to celebrate a party for their heroine, there was suddenly an eerie silence. When Vlhová was taken away a few minutes later, she waved to her supporters but appeared to be in pain.
Ex-driver is also injured
Several other top athletes had major problems with the “Lukova 2” route in the Lower Tatras, resulting in some grotesque-looking deficits. Only the Swedish Sara Hector, Olympic champion in Beijing, coped really well with the conditions. Before the final this Saturday (1 p.m.) she is already one second ahead of superstar Mikaela Shiffrin (USA). Third is Alice Robinson (New Zealand/+1.05).
The race started late due to the fall of a forerunner. The former world-class athlete Nicole Hosp (Austria), who works as a camera operator for ORF, is also said to have fallen. According to her broadcaster, she was also injured.