Next rejection for men - The weather fights back against the alpine racing circus
It's jinxed: the next race for the alpine ski racers has been canceled. Once again, the weather was the cause. At least there is good news from Canadian Broderick Thompson, who had a serious fall and was taken to hospital with head injuries on Wednesday.
The alpine ski racers remain plagued by bad weather this season. The first downhill in Beaver Creek had to be canceled on Friday evening. Too much fresh snow and poor visibility made the race in the USA impossible, as the organizers decided. The start had previously been postponed several times in an attempt to push the fresh snow that had fallen overnight off the course. Ultimately, however, the efforts were in vain.
The safety of the athletes had priority, the FIS announced. The race should have started at 18:45 CET. The start was initially postponed indefinitely and then canceled. The ski aces are now hoping for an improvement in the weather so that the second downhill on the "Birds of Prey" slope can take place this Saturday and the super-G on Sunday (both at 18:45 CET). "We are keeping our fingers crossed for this weekend," wrote the FIS on X.
Meanwhile, Canadian Broderick Thompson, who fell during training on Wednesday, remains in hospital with head injuries. The 29-year-old was flown by helicopter to the Denver Health Center after his fall and is said to be on the road to recovery, according to Canadian media.
Negative headlines dominate so far
Only one of the first five men's races of the season has been classified so far. The opening giant slalom in Sölden was canceled due to strong gusts of wind, and the two runs planned on the Matterhorn could not even be started due to fresh snow and storms. Only the slalom in Gurgl has so far gone ahead as planned.
However, the only race that has been classified so far this winter was overshadowed by climate protests on the course. On November 18, climate activists caused a lengthy interruption shortly before the decision. Several people had stormed into the run and smeared the snow with orange paint. The "Last Generation" group published a video on X showing eight activists smearing the paint and holding up banners. "Today we are taking our protest to the World Cup slope," they said.
The fans on the course responded to the protest with booing. Top skier Henrik Kristoffersen from Norway, two-time World Champion and 30-time World Cup winner, had shouted wildly at the activists and had to be restrained by the support staff, as can be seen on TV footage.
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Despite the continuous struggle with weather conditions, the alpine ski racers are eagerly waiting for improvements to resume alpine skiing on the "Birds of Prey" slope for the second downhill and the super-G. Broderick Thompson, the Canadian skier who suffered head injuries during training, is currently recovering in the Denver Health Center.
Source: www.ntv.de
