Dangerous program? Kilde crash sparks discussion

After Marco Kohler and Alexis Pinturault, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was also injured on Saturday. The Norwegian was bleeding heavily from his leg and was transported away by helicopter.

For many athletes, coaches and experts, the schedule is a key triggering factor. “No longer normal,” said the Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin.

During the TV broadcast, the following words from Lauberhorn winner Marco Odermatt were captured: “I hope this is the last time, never again three races in a row.” The Swiss superstar is one of several who pointed out the busy program in the Swiss mountain village. After two training sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday, there was a shortened downhill run on Thursday, replacing a race that was canceled in Beaver Creek due to weather. The longest Super-G in the World Cup followed on Friday, and the longest downhill on Saturday.

Read on the topic:

• Odermatt won Lauberhorn downhill – Kilde after falling out
• Sarrazin won Super-G – Pinturault flown to hospital after fall
• “Awkward!” Vincent Kriechmayr practices massive self-criticism

Kilde fell in the finish curve and crashed into the safety net with full force from an acute angle. An exact diagnosis is still pending, but the 31-year-old is likely to have suffered a serious leg injury. On Thursday, the Swiss Kohler fell and, among other things, suffered a torn cruciate ligament. Combined World Champion Pinturault from France suffered the same injury 24 hours later.

“Maybe we went over the limit”

“The feeling I have today is obviously that it’s too much. Also because today it’s not just Aleks. Maybe we went over the limit. We don’t want these injuries, so we have to do everything to prevent them avoid,” Claus Ryste, the sports director of the Norwegian Ski Association, told broadcaster NRK. “The driving time in the race on Thursday also lasted almost 1:45 minutes. They are long days, the time for recovery is very short. The crashes did result from driving errors, but they were probably forced driving errors,” said Niels Hintermann on SRF . According to the Swiss, fatigue definitely plays a role.

“You can see what kind of strength this sport demands with this program. He really ran out of strength,” said ÖSV head coach Marko Pfeifer, referring to Kilde. “This is not normal because Aleks is the strongest skier in the world,” said Super-G winner Sarrazin. Odermatt emphasized in the ORF interview: “This is not a criticism, but hopefully a lesson for everyone, for every venue, for every association, for the FIS, that more is not always better.” The total number of races scheduled this season is simply too high.

Too many races in one weekend?

Dominik Paris, who placed third on Saturday, was conflicted. “In any case, it was very exhausting and perhaps not ideal. But they have to catch up on the races somewhere, and we’re happy that we’re racing. But somehow you think: It’s absolutely necessary that there are so many Races on one weekend? And I don’t think double descents are ideal anyway,” explained the South Tyrolean.

The ÖSV athletes, however, contradicted the tenor of blaming the schedule. “Of course it’s a lot of work with three races, but we train all summer. That’s a weak excuse,” said Vincent Kriechmayr clearly. “It just happened stupidly. I wouldn’t say that the stress is too high. We’re happy that we have races, we’re also happy that Wengen stepped in here. After all, we’ve already lost a few races.”

“I think our sport is always dangerous,” said Otmar Striedinger and added: “I don’t think it’s any more dangerous now than in recent years. It’s just going to be a chain of unfortunate circumstances, and there were a few good ones this year. “

info By clicking on the icon you can add the keyword to your topics.

info
By clicking on the icon you open your “my topics” page. They have of 15 keywords saved and would have to remove keywords.

info By clicking on the icon you can remove the keyword from your topics.

Add the topic to your topics.