Lanzinger: “It was about survival”

On March 2, 2008, Lanzinger sustained multiple open fractures of the lower leg with severe vascular injuries at the Super-G World Cup race in Kvitfjell. The evacuation (first to Lillehammer, then to Ullevål University Hospital in Oslo) took six hours. Complications arose during the subsequent operation, and blood circulation was only restored after the third vascular revision, but could not be stabilized. Due to severe vascular injuries and the resulting lack of oxygen and the temporarily broken blood circulation in the left lower leg, it had to be amputated below the knee on March 4, 2008. “It is less well known that it was about survival,” said the man from Salzburg about the dramatic hours for him at the time.

Shortly after his accident, the 41-year-old started working in marketing for his ski outfitter Salomon. Since this year, the Abtenauer has been the successor to Günther Mader as racing manager at the company. In addition, he was extremely successful in his second sports career as a para-skier. Among other things, he won two silver medals at the Sochi Games in 2014.