CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Michaela Shiffrin, alexander aamodt kilde, Petra Vlhova, Alexis Pinturault, Colin Suiter.
All five former overall World Cup ski champions or Olympic gold medalists have been involved in serious crashes during races over the past 15 days.
And they're not alone.
Marco Schwartz, the former world champion, who was at the top of the overall standings, was not even able to compete in January. He injured his knee on a dark and bumpy descent down Bormio in late December.
A season without the Winter Olympics or world championships has hurt the ski circuit.
why? Many skiers are pointing to a packed January schedule after many races were canceled earlier in the season.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) has scheduled two downhill runs for the men in Wengen, Switzerland and Kitzbühel, Austria, and two downhill runs for the women in Cortina. Add in multiple training sessions at each of these venues and you have fast, cutting-edge skiing virtually all week long.
“You would wonder if the best skier would fall,” said top-down hiller Sofia Goggia.
Shiffrin, who has a record 95 World Cup wins, crashed into a safety net at high speed during a downhill stretch on the 2026 Olympic course in Cortina on Friday. She wrote on Instagram that she escaped serious injuries to her leg and was grateful it wasn't worse. It's unclear when Shiffrin will return.
Suter picked himself up mid-run, clutching his left knee. She tore her anterior cruciate ligament and tore her meniscus and missed the season. Shiffrin and Suter were airlifted down the mountain.
Last weekend, Vlhova tore a ligament in her right knee in a giant slalom in front of her home fans in Slovakia, ending her season. It happened after Pinturault and Kilde had a season-ending crash at Wengen.
“The races, the travel, the training sessions, the pressure, the stress,” said Federica Brignone, another former overall champion who crashed on Friday but was not injured. She said, “It's time to think about my overcrowded schedule.''
There was another accident in Cortina on Saturday that left American racer Vera Wright with bruises and a cut to her jaw.
“It hurt, but I knew right away that my leg was fine,” Wright said. “They were bruised and I'm sure the pain would get worse as time went on. I also coughed up blood, but I didn't know what it was from. And I was told I had a laceration on my jaw. I did.”
The race was interrupted several times for long periods due to strong winds.
Czech skier and snowboarder Eszter Ledecka was the first racer on the course, but immediately stopped and started the run after losing control.
Germany's Kira Weidl and Switzerland's Joana Heeren also fell, with Heeren being carried away from the goal area with her entire leg bandaged. She tore her right ACL.
The race was ultimately abandoned with two skiers remaining at the start after Romania's Ania Monica Kyle cartwheeled and fell into the safety net.
“It's pointless to talk only about the number of races,” said Olympic super-G champion and former overall champion Lara Gut-Behrami. “There are a lot of reasons that can affect performance. Sure, the schedule is very packed, but that has been the case for years. Even when there are no races, the athletes all go out to train.
“Everything else surrounding the sport adds to the stress,” Gut-Behrami added. “It used to be only about skiing, but now athletes have to multitask and worry about managing their image and marketing themselves. But the day still lasts 24 hours. .”
However, the FIS announced that two downhills scheduled for Chamonix, France, have been canceled due to poor snow conditions, meaning the men will have a break.
cut resistant underwear
In light of all the recent crashes, some skiers are suggesting that cut-resistant underwear should be made mandatory in more races.
Already mandatory for parallel events, this cut-resistant underwear can protect racers from being injured by razor-sharp ski edges in the event of a crash. But downhillers don't wear this because it slows them down.
“This should be a safety improvement for all of us,” Goggia said. “It should be made compulsory.”
Mr Kilde had to undergo emergency surgery to repair severe cuts and nerve damage to his right calf, as well as two torn ligaments in his right shoulder.
Cut-resistant underwear made from a cut-resistant polyethylene material, which is said to be stronger by weight than steel or Kevlar, may have prevented Kilde's injuries. The inflatable airbag that a skier wears under his racing suit provides the same protection.
“It's a no-brainer,” U.S. women's coach Paul Kristofik said. “But there are always people who oppose these things for various reasons. There was also no unanimous support for airbags.”
___
AP ski: https://apnews.com/hub/skiing
