TNT Sports
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde not sure if he will race again after horror crash - 'It’s about being able to walk'
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Published 01/02/2024 at 12:29 GMT
January saw a tough run of injuries for top skiers with a number suffering season-ending crashes including Petra Vlhova and Alexis Pinturault. For Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, it might be even more serious than that. The Norwegian, a two-time Olympic medallist, admitted that his immediate priority is to walk again and live a normal life after his horror crash, rather than try to race again.
Tearful Shiffrin admits 'last days have been very challenging' after Kilde crash
Video credit: TNT Sports
Skiing star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has admitted that he may not race again after his horror crash at Wengen earlier this year.
Kilde was competing during the downhill when he crashed into the barriers and had to be airlifted to hospital, later posting some graphic pictures of his condition and the surgery he underwent on social media.
Speaking on a call with reporters, Kilde reframed his recovery around returning to everyday life - not racing again.
"The situation is still unclear. I am positive, but this is going to take time. As of now, it's too early to say if I can compete at the highest level again," he said.
"Right now, it's about being able to walk again. It's not about returning with skis on, but returning to everyday life."
He continued: "Now I'm in a very early phase. Nerves are involved, so when that's the case, things are very uncertain.
"Now it's about getting an overview of how long things can take. You never know how long this is going to take."
The start of 2024 has seen a series of brutal injuries to different skiers in a worrying trend for the sport.
On the same weekend that Kilde was injured, French star Alexis Pinturault tore his ACL whilst a week later Slovakian technical specialist Petra Vlhova tore her knee ligaments in her home race in Jasna.
Then at Cortina the week after Vlhova, Kilde’s partner, American superstar Mikaela Shiffrin, also suffered a nasty looking crash, going barrelling into the fences.
Shiffrin didn’t tear either her ACL or PCL but she did miss the last meet at Kronplatz and it has not been confirmed when, or even if, she’ll return to racing this season.
Corinne Suter also tore her ACL on the same jump that Shiffrin crashed on.
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