Olympic champion Vlhová made a mistake on the icy track already in the ninth gate and ended up in the protective nets after falling.
After a few minutes of treatment, the rescuers took her on a sled from the slope and then transported her by helicopter to Ružomberok.
An examination at a local hospital revealed damaged ligaments in her right knee, and her team later announced that the 2019 giant slalom world champion’s season was over.
“We are very sorry for what happened today. Once again it was confirmed how unpredictable our sport can be. All of us in the team will do our best so that Petra returns to the ski slopes even stronger,” said Vlhová’s coach Mauro Pini.
The 2019 giant slalom world champion will soon undergo further examinations and consultations with a specialist, after which she will decide on the next course of action.
“I thank everyone for the great support. I believe that I can handle everything. I will fight to return to skiing as soon as possible,” Vlhová said from the hospital.
Hector, who had been waiting two years to win the World Cup race, coped best with the demanding conditions already in the first round.
The reigning Olympic champion was ahead of Shiffrin by an even second, and in the final she increased her lead over the leading woman in the SP standings by another 52 hundredths.
Third place was held by Alice Robinson of New Zealand, who finished 2.71 seconds behind the winner.
“It was amazing. The snow was great, an amazing race. I was very nervous in the morning, I had a lot to think about lately, but today was just crazy,” said Hector at the finish line, rejoicing at the fifth victory in her career.
Jelínková lost 8.61 seconds to Hector on the hard track, which especially caused problems for many skiers in the opening round.
The race ended in an absolute fiasco for the Austrians. In the second round, Ricarda Haaserová, the last representative of the Alpine powerhouse, did not even finish the ride.
Thus, for the first time since March 13, 1985, Austria had no representative in the points positions in the giant slalom SP.
Lara Gutová-Behramiová took the lead in the intermediate evaluation of the discipline. Thanks to the 6th place in the lead, the Swiss woman replaced the Italian Federica Brignone, who ended up with starting number one after falling in the first run.
2024-01-20 13:17:15
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