Lara Gut dislocates hip, Marcus Sandell loses kidney

Two significant injuries for the Olympic season occurred back to back this week on European glaciers.

Finnish Giant Slalom racer Marcus Sandell sustained a horrific training crash at Austria’s Pitzaler Glacier, Monday and has had his left kidney removed as a result.
The 22-year old Sandell slid off the prepared course into a field of rubble, injuring his kidney, spleen and spine and breaking his nose and hand. He was airlifted to hospital in nearby Innsbruck where his left kidney was removed.
Doctors are reporting he is doing fine, and they anticipate a full recovery, though Finnish team physician is quoted by Austrian media as saying his return to racing is not foreseeable.
Sandell has three top ten World Cup results, including a tenth at Sestriere’s GS last season.

Tuesday Swiss teen sensation Lara Gut dislocated her right hip while training in Switzerland at Saas-Fee, according to the Swiss national team. The double silver medalist at last season’s World Championships reportedly caught an inside ski while skiing giant slalom. She was immediately airlifted to the hospital in Visp where the hip was reset. She then traveled to Berne for further examination by a specialist.
The Swiss website Skionline.ch reports her father Pauli Gut saying the expected recovery will be at least a month. The Swiss team sites expects she’ll not be able to return to training until late November and not join the World Cup circuit until after the North American leg.

Photo of Lara Gut from GEPA