The Garmisch Fall Out

The series in Garmisch-Partenkirchen over the weekend proved to be a tough one for the women in speed. Upon first glance, many of the women who fell and did not finish in Sunday’s downhill and Saturday’s super-G appeared to walk away uninjured. Upon further evaluation, that is not the case. Two prominent faces will not be present in the upcoming World Championships. Two other women are still on the fence about the future of their season.

Cornelia Huetter (AUT) skiing to the finish after her release from the safety netting in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Photo: GEPA pictures/ Thomas Bachun

Austrian Cornelia Huetter crashed into the safety netting, but jumped up quickly after disentanglement, seemingly unharmed. Further evaluation saw that Huetter partially tore her ACL and a calf muscle, and will be out for the next 4-6 weeks. Huetter, who had recently returned from an injury layoff, was hoping to compete in the upcoming races in Are, Sweden for World Championships.

“At the moment it’s very bitter but in a few weeks it will look different. It’s another hurdle I didn’t plan, but I will overcome this one as well,” said Huetter.

Michelle Gisin (SUI) after her super-G run in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Photo: GEPA pictures/ Thomas Bachun

Switzerland’s Michelle Gisin is another athlete who will be missed at World Championships. On Saturday she strained her ACL and suffered cartilage damage during the Garmisch super-G after a knee dislocation and severe joint compression. She has opted to go into surgery to increase her chances of long term success.

“Of course it hurts a lot to prematurely finish the season. However, I am also aware that I have had no serious injuries requiring surgery over the past eight years,” said Gisin. “I was able to experience so much and have been lucky to stay healthy in much more decisive moments. Therefore, it is not so difficult for me to accept this injury and see it as a chance for some quiet time.”

Federica Brignone (ITA) in the finish of the downill race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Photo: GEPA pictures/ Thomas Bachun

Federica Brignone’s left knee has shown slight distortion with excessive swelling which will require her to see a physiotherapist in order to recover. The Italian Ski Federation has yet to decide whether or not Brignone will try and compete in Maribor, Slovenia on Friday, February 1st in the giant slalom. Brignone recently surrendered her leader bib in the event to Mikaela Shiffrin, and fell behind France’s Tessa Worley to third in the standings, but is still hoping to stay within the ranks going into World Championships.

Her teammate, Federica Sosio, fell on the same spot of the track and was transferred to a Garmisch hospital via helicopter after her fall in the downhill, where she was diagnosed with a fibular fracture in her left leg. She underwent immediate surgery in order to properly reset the break. According to the Italian Ski Federation, there is a chance Sosio could attempt to return at some point this season.

Releases courtesy of Swiss Ski, Federazione Italiana Sport Invernali, and Ski Austria.