Sport|Winter OlympicsLiensberger to miss Olympics after latest serious skiing accidentAustria’s Katharina Liensberger to miss Milano Cortina Winter Games after knee injury in alpine skiing training fall.
Austrian Olympic slalom silver medallist Katharina Liensberger will be unable to participate in the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics due to a severe knee injury sustained during training. The Austrian Ski Association has announced that Liensberger will…
Austrian Olympic slalom silver medallist Katharina Liensberger will be unable to participate in the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics due to a severe knee injury sustained during training. The Austrian Ski Association has announced that Liensberger will undergo surgery on Friday after medical assessments revealed a fracture of the tibial plateau, a torn meniscus, and a medial collateral ligament injury in her right knee.
The 28-year-old slalom specialist's current season has concluded prematurely following the accident in St Michael, occurring one month prior to the commencement of the Olympics in Italy. Liensberger, who secured a team gold and slalom silver in Beijing and was the slalom world champion in 2021, also achieved a slalom bronze at last year’s championships in Saalbach.
At the upcoming Cortina event, she was expected to compete against American skier Mikaela Shiffrin, who holds the record as the most successful World Cup skier. Shiffrin has won the last six World Cup slaloms, including five victories this season.
Shiffrin has won the last six World Cup slaloms, including five victories this season.
The women's skiing events will continue in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, with a giant slalom scheduled for Saturday and a slalom on Sunday. Liensberger's injury adds her to the list of prominent female skiers facing serious injuries ahead of the Olympics. Swiss Olympic champions Michelle Gisin, Lara Gut-Behrami, and Corinne Suter have also been affected by training incidents, with Gisin and Gut-Behrami confirmed as unable to compete in the Games.
The recent fatal accident of Italian skier Matteo Franzoso in Chile has prompted discussions regarding risk management in high-speed skiing. Concerns have been voiced about improving safety measures in training environments.
For further details on the impacts of these events on the Winter Olympics, read more here .
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.
