Anyone in Schladming?

...for the World Champs?

Things kick off tomorrow with the Ladies Super-G, with Chemmy starting in Bib 32.



From the FIS...

Austria's Schladming is well prepared to kick off the season highlight event in Alpine Skiing, the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. On 4th February, FIS President Gian Franco Kasper will officially unveil the event at the Opening Ceremony which will begin at 18:30 CET in the Planai Finish Area. The secret but by all accounts spectacular show can also be followed live through Public Viewing at the Medals Plaza.

609 athletes (356 men and 253 ladies) representing 72 nations have been entered to participate in the second FIS Alpine World Ski Championships staged in Schladming after 1982. 33 FIS World Championship medals will be awarded for the five ladies' and men's individual events as well as the co-ed nations' team event.

For more information, see www.schladming2013.at


Photo (c) carmichaelphoto.com

Chemmy's thoughts on the Champs can be found on her blog - chemmyalcott.blogspot.co.uk

Chemmy wrote:Normally I try and treat every race the same. This time I am adopting a new tactic having been at home resting, getting the body in 'tip top' shape. I want to peak at the right time, I want to push my body next week to new levels, in essence I want to get back my old confidence and make right turns as strong and fast as my left!

Go Chemmy! (not that we're partisan or anything...) :thumbup:

Just watching highlights on Eurosport. Conditions very difficult with low flat light after several postponements due to fog. Lindsay Vonn had a horrible crash:( Right knee seemed to collapse on landing after a big jump. Helicoptered off the piste :( . She has suffered a torn ACL and MCL in her right knee and a lateral tibial plateau fracture :x :x :x

More than 20 skiers not allowed start due to poor light. Only 30 finishers - one of which was Chemmy who finished in 24th place.

Some people were simply skiing the wrong side of gates as they couldnt see them in the bad light. It was a joke.

Vonn's out for the rest of the season according to the BBC :-

BBC wrote:Olympic gold medallist Lindsey Vonn is out for the season after a crash on the opening day of the Alpine Skiing World Championships in Austria.
Vonn was airlifted to hospital after rupturing cruciate ligaments in her right knee but she should be back to defend her Games title at Sochi 2014.

Full report is here.

:(

I'd doubt she will be fit for the olympics tbh

Tony_H wrote:Some people were simply skiing the wrong side of gates as they couldnt see them in the bad light. It was a joke.

Yeah, was amazing they could find their way to the bottom at times... :shock:

Think Tony H is right, it would be pretty impressive for her to be back next year at the Olympics to compete with this sort of injury.

Not sure if a tear is worse than a snapped ligament. As I understand it the tear will mend but the ligament doesn't really gain fully stability and work on the surrounding muscle is required for stability, so a replaced ligament could be potentially more stable and possibly shorter recovery time?

The bigger problem is the fracture which is around the knee joint that gives the overall stability, understand that is a tricky one.

I am sure she will give it her best shot and will have the best medical attention possible to try and make it.

Thought it was really brave of Chemmy to leave the starting gate in those conditions, you could have understood if she stepped away and said I'm not racing.

Hoefl-Riesch, Fenniger all struggled badly and Jules Mancuso was probably the best ski of all, think in better conditions she would have run Tina Maze close.

Horrible accident, Mr Jocrad74 is a bit of a wimp when limbs bend in ways they shouldn't, every time they repeated it in slow-mo he hid behind his hands.

And ditto the comments, very brave of Chemmy in rotten conditions. Here's hoping Lindsey makes a good recovery.