dNorwegian ski star Aleksander Aamodt Kilde apparently suffered serious injuries in a major fall during the World Cup downhill in Wengen. The 31-year-old fell at the S finish line of the longest run on the ski circuit and hit the safety fence with full force. His right ski was badly bent and Kilde was subsequently treated for his right leg.

Superstar Mikaela Shiffrin's boyfriend remained in the snow for minutes and eventually had to be taken out by helicopter. The race was interrupted for approximately half an hour. It was “terrible” to see, Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin told ZDF. According to ORF, Kilde is said to have suffered a broken leg. Television footage showed that her leg had been tied. The Norwegian association initially did not announce any diagnosis and asked for patience.

A fall bothers ski professionals

Kilde had recently been ill and therefore came into the race weekend feeling weak. However, on Thursday he took third place in the shortened downhill and on Friday in the Super-G.

Once the race continued, the Swiss Marco Odermatt achieved victory and celebrated what has probably been his greatest success in the World Cup to date. Following his victory on Thursday on the shortened course, the 26-year-old also won the classic over the longest downhill course on the ski circuit.

German alpine skiers experienced the next debacle. None of the best athletes managed to enter the top 20 at the Lauberhorn: the Frenchman Sarrazin, who the day before won the Super-G ahead of Odermatt, came second as on Thursday (+0.59 seconds). Third place went to South Tyrolean Dominik Paris (+1.92).

Kilde's fall upset some athletes. “Today was hell,” Romed Baumann told ZDF. “The braking really threw me off course, I was starving.” At the bottom it was “almost black before the eyes” and “it was really bad to drive.”

The same thing happened with Thomas Dreßen, who literally gave up after the Kernen-S and crossed the finish line almost twelve seconds late. Andreas Sander was retired due to a fall by Cameron Alexander (Canada), third in the World Championship, and had to start twice.

Heavy crashes had already occurred in previous races in Wengen. The Swiss Marco Kohler in the shortened descent on Thursday and Frenchman Alexis Pinturault in Friday's Super-G. Both suffered serious knee injuries and will be out for the remainder of the season.