Nordic combined

After a fall at the World Championships: ÖSV ace has to return home

Thomas Rettenegger crashed in the first training on the large hill.(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

That's bitter! For ÖSV combined athlete Thomas Rettenegger, the Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim have come to an early end. The man from Salzburg crashed during training on the large hill and is complaining of pain in his shoulder.

It's jinxed!

Two years ago, Thomas Rettenegger was only a substitute at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Planica (Slovenia). In Trondheim, he was therefore desperate to make an appearance.

After he was not nominated for either the singles or mixed event on the normal hill, the strong jumper had high hopes of making the squad on the large hill.

Rettengger: The pain got worse and worse
However, the 25-year-old fell on his first jump on the large bakken on Tuesday. "Unfortunately, I made a belly flop. It was my own mistake," he explained immediately afterwards. "I don't feel anything yet, so it will be fine."

Over the course of the day, however, the pain in his shoulder got worse and worse, and on Wednesday morning the decision was finally made for the man from Salzburg to leave Norway early.

Team doctor Hainzl: "He is still very limited"
"Thomas fell very badly on his shoulder. The fall didn't look too bad and he didn't have much pain afterwards. But the pain increased significantly over the course of the day," explained team doctor Stefan Hainzl.

"It is impossible to predict how he will fare in jumping and especially in cross-country skiing. He is very limited, so we decided that he should go home." Rettenegger is due to leave Trondheim on Wednesday.