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Milan Cortina, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde raises white flag

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Through a long post published on his Instagram profile, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde announced that he will not take part in the Milan Cortina expedition: “Returning to the World Cup this season already means a lot more than I could have imagined a year ago but I also learned that coming back after complex injuries and after so much time away from the slopes is harder than I expected. Finding myself in the starting gate alongside the best downhill racers in the world was a clear reminder that both body and mind have to be ready to push themselves to the limit in every race”.

Ernesto VillaCrans-Montana, images from the girls’ poignant ski tribute

There's so much sadness in the eyes of our ski champions
They went to pay their respects to the victims of the Crans-Montana New Year tragedy
Among the forty victims of the'immense disaster there are also six young compatriots of ours

Sofia Goggia, Federica Brignone and the other Azzurri laid a bouquet of flowers in front of the disaster site
The athletes, visibly shaken, then gathered in a minute’s silence
In the Swiss resort are also planned other initiatives in remembrance of the very young victims

The local organizers and the International Federation have decided to observe a minute of mourning before the start of the races
All side events were canceled and it was decided not to place trackside advertisements

Even in the fan zone, usually a place of great fun, no activities
The usual daytime activities in the center of Crans-Montana and the city Curling Club

The six unfortunate Italian boys who perished in the pyre are Riccardo Minghetti, Chiara Costanzo, Giovanni Tamburi, Achille Barosi, Sofia Prosperi, Emanuele Galeppini

“Right now I need more training to get to that level. With the sudden increase in full speed training, my body needed more time than my mind would have liked. This led to the back problems that kept me away from Kitzbuhel and made the Crans-Montana race anything but easy. Ending the season this way was not what I wanted but looking back I am proud of what this comeback represents. However, I am here to win races and, right now, that means aiming for the long term” he wrote in the post.

On Jan. 13, 2024, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde was the victim of a terrible accident: he fell in Wengen and suffered serious injuries to his right leg that forced him into a wheelchair for a time. Kilde decomposed and ended up at great speed against the protections; in the fall he also cut himself with the edge of a ski. Doctors promptly intervened and stopped the bleeding with a tourniquet, then he was transported to the hospital by helicopter and reports also showed a decomposed fracture in his right leg.

Tuesday afternoon also came Lindsey Vonn’s long-awaited announcement about her participation in Milan Cortina: “I will do everything I can to be in the starting gate on Sunday in Cortina. In Crans-Montana I completely ruptured my left ACL but, despite everything, I am confident”.

“Obviously, it is not what I wanted because I have worked a lot and I know what my chances were before and what they are now, however, I am confident that I will be able to take to the track on Sunday” concluded the U.S. champion, who through social media is receiving a’wave of affection from her many fans scattered all over the world.

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