After cruciate ligament rupture:

ÖSV downhill racer made her “comeback” at Christmas

Emily Schöpf was back on her Atomic skis for the first time on Christmas Eve.(Bild: Privat)

"I don't really have any resolutions for the new year," admits Emily Schöpf. "I want to get healthy and enjoy what I do." And that is and remains skiing. Even the second cruciate ligament rupture of her career, which the 24-year-old suffered exactly 96 days ago during super-G training in Chile, couldn't change that.

 "Until now, I always believed that injuries happen for a reason and not because it's bad luck," says the Montafon native. "In the meantime, however, I'm not sure whether it wasn't just bad luck in my case."

Between hope and fear
Schöpf slipped during super-G training on the penultimate day of the Chile camp - harmlessly at first glance. "But I quickly felt that my left knee was unstable," recalls the Atomic skier, who assumes that she only injured herself when she slid after the fall. "As there was no major swelling, the pain was limited and an initial medical check didn't produce a clear diagnosis, there was secretly hope that the injury might not be quite so bad after all." 
A hope that quickly vanished into thin air back home, however. "The cruciate ligament and outer meniscus were torn and the cartilage was damaged," explains "Emy", who was operated on in Hochrum by knee expert Christian Fink. "After that, I was at home for two weeks before the first two weeks of rehab in the Gastein Valley."

The perfect distraction
From there, it was straight on to Graz at the beginning of November, where the Schladminger-by-choice completed the first block of her police training together with ski cross athlete Sonja Gigler. "That was great," enthuses Schöpf, "as I was able to keep my mind occupied again and my knee was no longer the focus."

A very special Christmas present
The next highlight came as a Christmas present. "I was able to go on my first ski tour on Christmas Eve," reveals Emy. She went to the Rittisberg with her friend Georg. "It was really nice, a very special atmosphere. First the sun was shining, then it snowed. We walked up for an hour and then took the lift down."

Police athlete Emily Schöpf recently completed her first training block in Graz.(Bild: Privat)

The Rauch racer is also working hard for her comeback.(Bild: Privat)

(Bild: Privat)

The crutches have been a thing of the past for some time now.(Bild: Privat)

Schöpf is competing in Saalbach
The Rauch racer will be there as a spectator at the home World Championships in Saalbach in February - and what about her ski comeback? "I certainly won't be rushing into anything," Schöpf clarifies. "But the aim is to get back into team training in the summer and then be fully back for the start of the World Cup." For Emily, the injury is just an interruption on her way to the top.