It appears defending World Cup champion Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway may miss at least one race to a leg bruise.

The Norwegian star hurt the leg while training at Saas-Fee, Switzerland early in October. While he attended and competed at the World Cup opening race, a giant slalom at Soelden, Austria, Oct. 25, he pulled out mid way through the second run and later said leg pain was the culprit.

Svindal is in Oslo seeking treatment and said he would likely be off skis for a “couple of weeks.”  That would put him up against the scheduled Cup slalom at Levi, Finland. By skipping the race he would gain an additional two weeks rest before the first downhill on the schedule, at Lake Louise, Alberta Nov. 28.

Svindal has never placed better than sixth in a World Cup slalom anyway and has never been better than 20th at Levi, so the speculation he’ll miss the race is well founded.

Photo by GEPA