Serious injuries

Bormio: “Beast” Stelvio was very hungry this time

The rescue teams in Bormio had a lot to do.(Bild: AP/Alessandro Trovati, APA/AFP/Fabrice COFFRINI)

The "beast" Stelvio was very hungry this time. Numerous athletes suffered serious injuries last weekend in Bormio.

Race start at 11.30 am. At 11.31 a bloodcurdling scream. At 11.35 a.m. the helicopter rotors start rattling. A nightmare start to a ski race on a Sunday in Valtellina with truly fantastic weather. The Swiss skier Gino Caviezel, start number 1, had skied at around 100 km/h shortly before the San Pietro jump, lost his right ski and plunged over the edge of the slope into the depths. Caviezel remained lying on the slope, screaming loudly in pain.

Gino Caviezel(Bild: GEPA pictures)

The helicopter took the skier away and he was later brought to Switzerland. According to Swiss Ski, Caviezel suffered a shoulder dislocation, which was corrected in hospital. The Swiss skier was also diagnosed with a complex injury to his right knee.

Whew ... the Stelvio beast was really hungry this weekend. On Friday, it wasn't just France's Cyprien Sarrazin who landed on the operating table in Sondalo with a brain haemorrhage. Italy's Pietro Zazzi suffered a fractured tibia and fibula and Switzerland's Josua Mettler tore cruciate ligaments in both (!) knees. One on the piste, one in the net ...

No wonder that veterans such as Alexis Pinturault and Christof Innerhofer decided not to compete on Sunday. Austria got off relatively lightly during the Stelvio rampage: Stefan Eichberger was out on Saturday & Sunday - his ankle hurts like hell, but is okay.