Innsbruck. Ski racer Hannes Reichelt does not want to end his career with an injury. The 39-year-old will make a comeback after suffering a cruciate ligament rupture on Saturday in the Bormio descent. “According to the circumstances, I’m doing quite well. I’ll wait for rehab, but my goal is to be in Cortina in 2021,” said the Salzburg resident at a media event in Innsbruck.
From a medical point of view, complete rehabilitation is possible. “It is a complex knee injury and we had to remove 30 to 40 percent of the meniscus,” said Karl Golser from the chain bridge sanatorium Innsbruck, who had operated on the athlete. Reichelt had completely torn the anterior cruciate ligament in the right knee, the outer ligaments and the meniscus on the inside and outside, and bone parts also tore out.
Overlooked hills due to poor visibility
Reichelt explained that he had overlooked a small hill due to poor visibility and therefore fell. “I subsided immediately, I immediately felt that something was wrong,” he said of the moment.
After the ski star in Alta Valtellina was brought to Sondalo Hospital, the nurses thought that the victim was a ski tourist in a racing suit. Reichelt: “It was a bit strange that the communication between the helicopter and the hospital was so bad.” It was a long time before Reichelt was in Innsbruck and an MRI scan was carried out on Saturday evening. The operation took place on Sunday.
Reichelt wants to take his time in returning to the Ski World Cup, but he wants to be part of the 2021 World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo. “I’ve come back from my injuries more and more so far,” said the winner of 13 World Cup races.
Several problems for Super-G world champions 2019
The 2015 Super G World Champion had to deal with several problems in 2019. It was only in October, just before the start of the season, that the Innsbruck public prosecutor stopped investigating him as part of “Operation Phlebotomy”. The allegations by a former Nordic service man that Reichelt had obtained doping from a former Austrian cross-country trainer were not confirmed. The athlete had always affirmed his innocence, but suffered greatly from the allegations.
“In addition to the birth of my son Niklas, 2019 was a shitty year,” said Reichelt. He has to stay in the hospital over New Years because of the pain. “My wife has enough to do with our son, so she doesn’t need another patient at home.” A day after Reichelt, Christopher Neumayer crashed in the Kombi-Super-G in Bormio, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and contracted an impression fracture of the tibia head. The two ÖSV athletes are room partners in the hospital.
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