To ski
- Downhill star falls heavily shortly before the finish line in Wengen
- Kilde, 31, is the long-term partner of US star Mikaela Shiffrin
Agencies
Sat Jan 13, 2024 12:58 GMT
Downhill star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde fell heavily into the barrier within sight of the finish during the long Lauberhorn race in the World Cup on Saturday and appeared to have injured his right leg before being flown to hospital.
French skier Alexis Pinturault has flown off the course after a super-G crash
For the second time in a row, a former men's overall World Cup winner was transported by helicopter from Switzerland's most famous ski resort in Wengen.
On Friday, French star Alexis Pinturault crashed while landing a jump in a super-G race. The 2021 world champion, who became a father for the first time last weekend, tore a cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Kilde was the 2020 champion ahead of Pinturault and is the long-time partner of American ski star Mikaela Shiffrin.
He required lengthy treatment as he lay flat next to the finish line and race helpers strapped his right leg above the knee. A helicopter landed in the target area to take Kilde to a hospital.
Injured racers in Wengen – a high-altitude ski resort accessible via a cog railway that starts further down the mountain – are usually flown to a hospital in Interlaken.
Kilde was competing in a speed event in Wengen for the third day in a row – an unusual requirement on the men's World Cup calendar since a downhill in Beaver Creek, Colorado, was canceled last month.
The 31-year-old Norwegian battled illness before finishing third in a shorter downhill on Thursday and third again in the super-G on Friday.
Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is evacuated by helicopter after an accident in the men's downhill race on Saturday. Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images
“It's a bad feeling again like yesterday with Alexis,” French racer Cyprien Sarrazin, who came second on Thursday and won the Super-G on Friday, told Swiss broadcaster RTS.
“There are three days of racing here and we finish with the longest (race). Three days are really hard physically,” said Sarrazin, who set the second fastest time behind leader Marco Odermatt.
Kilde was unbalanced on his skis as he approached the final, curvy S-shaped section about two minutes and ten seconds into a tiring run, then made another mistake as he skied down the left-hand bend toward the finish .
He was thrown from his skis and spun in the air before crashing backwards into the safety fences at the side of the track.
Kilde has been a top downhill racer for several years, with two victories in the premier discipline in Wengen. He is a two-time champion in the full-season World Cup downhill standings.
Saturday's race was led by Swiss star Odermatt, with Sarrazin in second place. They were almost one and a half seconds faster than all competitors.
Odermatt put his hands to his head as he saw Kilde crash about 80 meters (yards) from where he was standing in the leader's box on the side of the track.
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