Injured Fleiss flies home, may take two-week break

Croatia’s top-ranked active skier, Nika Fleiss, flew home Friday with a knee injury following a Thursday training crash in which she collided with an Austrian coach who was working on the hill.
    “Her left MCL is stretched, and for the moment we think she will take a two-week break,” said Vedran Pavlek, the head coach of the Croatian team.
CROATIA'S TOP-RANKED active skier, Nika Fleiss, flew home Friday with a knee injury following a Thursday training crash in which she collided with an Austrian coach who was working on the hill.
    “Her left MCL is stretched, and for the moment we think she will take a two-week break,” said Vedran Pavlek, the head coach of the Croatian team.
    The two teams were training giant slalom on side-by-side courses at Loveland Basin in Colorado, making the best of this November’s minimal snow coverage.
    Witnesses emphasized that the collision occurred after Fleiss fell, and that she slid into the next course only after aggressive snow caused her to rotate her knee and start sliding.
    Bernd Brunner, the Austrian coach, said he could not remember the impact because he hit his head on the snow. He said his back was bruised, and that he felt lucky his injury and Fleiss’ injury were not more serious.
    Brunner was lucid and able-bodied enough on Friday to set the first course of Saturday’s women’s giant slalom at Aspen.
    “He was lucky because it could have been much worse,” said Herbert Mandl, head Austrian women’s coach.
    Fleiss finished 18th in last year’s slalom standings. She is carrying the burden of Croatia’s hopes this season following the decision of her countrywoman Janica Kostelic, the reigning overall World Cup champion, to take a year’s sabbatical.
    Another Croatian woman, Ana Jelusic, had a breakthrough race at Levi, Finland, two weeks ago, finishing a career-best fourth. She is suffering from back pains, but will race both events this weekend at Aspen.
     Pavlek also said that for the Zagreb Snow Queen Trophy, which has become the premier race of the women's circuit, Kool & the Gang will provide musical entertainment.