Season (and probably career) over for Lara Gut-Behrami: farewell also to Olympics

The concerns were unfortunately well-founded after the injury suffered by Lara Gut-Behrami at Copper Mountain (Colorado): the Swiss rider suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament, as well as a meniscal injury in her left knee. She will have to undergo surgery, scheduled for next week, and has prematurely ended her competitive season: she will therefore also be forced to forgo the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, an event she obviously cared about. Her career is highly at risk: she could hang up her skis.

The champion took it philosophically, showing steady nerves and an uncommon sensitivity: “I had a completely different vision for the coming months and was looking forward to the start of this ski season ’stressed the athlete, who turned 34 in April -. Recently we have experienced tragedies in the world of skiing, with the disappearance of young female athletes. I believe that a knee injury, no matter how complex, cannot be considered a tragedy. For now, my goal is to recover from this injury and regain my full capabilities. Only then will I know what the future holds for me”.

Great bitterness in the words of Beat Tschuor, Swiss-Ski’s head coach of women’s alpine skiing: “The Winter Olympics, scheduled in her second home, Italy, was the last major goal of Lara’s career,– he recalled. This injury makes everything even more bitter. We all hope that the surgery and rehabilitation go as well as possible and that she returns to top form, both to continue her career and to lead a pain-free life”. In the Five Circles event in Beijing four years ago, Gut-Behrami won the gold medal in the Super-G.