Are: Knee surgery will end Rocca's season

Reigning World Cup slalom champion Giorgio Rocca is ending his season early and will undergo right knee surgery next week.

ARE, Sweden — Reigning World Cup slalom champion Giorgio Rocca is ending his season early and will undergo right knee surgery next week.
    The Italian announced his plans Saturday after skiing out in the first run of the slalom race at the World Championships.
    ''I'm disappointed. It's a bad season for me,'' Rocca said.
    Rocca hasn't won since he captured the opening five slaloms last season. He entered this season with plans to become an all-around skier and race more events, but chronic knee pain limited his performance.
    ''I want to be No. 1 in slalom again,'' Rocca said. ''I was dreaming of a good result at world championships before dedicating myself to taking care of my knee. Now, I'm going to move my plans forward and go in for the operation.''
    Rocca skied out with only a few gates to go in Saturday's first run, hiked back up, and crossed the line more than 18 seconds behind. He didn't start the second leg.
    ''In the last gates, I just wanted to go straight, that was the temptation,'' he said. ''I can't use my knee as an excuse today.''
    Rocca also fell before his home fans at last year's Torino Olympics.

— The Associated Press