Marco Schwarz begins his comeback. © APA / ALEX HALADA

Schwarz successfully operated: “Tragic and brutally bitter”

The knee operation carried out by specialist Christian Fink on ski racer Marco Schwarz at the Hochrum Private Clinic was carried out without complications on Friday.

29 December 2023

From: leo

“The procedure took about an hour and a half. The anterior cruciate ligament, the medial meniscus and the cartilage damage were surgically repaired,” Fink is quoted as saying in an ÖSV broadcast. The Carinthian all-rounder Schwarz sustained the injuries on Thursday during the downhill run in Bormio.

The ÖSV announced that the knee will now be relieved of the strain with crutches for several weeks. The rehabilitation lasting several months should begin on Friday evening with light physiotherapeutic measures. After his slalom victory in Madonna di Campiglio, Schwarz came to Bormio as the overall leader in the World Cup, and an exciting duel for the big crystal ball with the Swiss Odermatt was announced. Schwarz had pursued the plan to contest as many races of the season as possible.

No criticism of the mammoth program

It was “shit” for everyone involved, for Atomic, the ÖSV, but of course it was “toughest” for Schwarz, said Atomic race director Christian Höflehner during the women’s races in Lienz APA – Austria Press Agency. “It was in such great shape. Discussing whether he should have driven that or not is moot. He wanted to drive himself, he drove really well, he could have finished top five or on the podium.”

Marco Schwarz will be out for the entire season. © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

Schwarz was very careful about whether he was physically ready, and he was ready. “That just happens. It’s tragic and brutally bitter,” said Höflehner. “There is never a good time for something like this. But if everything goes well, he will be back next year. He'll definitely come back strong. It will probably take a while, but we will have the patience.”

ÖSV head coach Marko Pfeifer described it on Friday as “extremely unfortunate for him (Schwarz, note) and for us. Unfortunately, it's 'part of the game.'” The injury was of course discussed with the team on Thursday evening, but then the focus was placed on the Super-G. That was what Schwarz meant. Pfeifer: “Blacky said before he drove away, boys, step on the gas and hit it.” In the morning, another message of the same message came from the Carinthian via WhatsApp. “Everyone sticks together, I think that’s a very nice thing,” said Pfeifer.

Reichelt injured himself in the same place

Pfeifer doesn't see that Schwarz has taken on too much of himself by competing in all the World Cup races until Thursday. “We are now at the beginning of the season, it is December. If it were the end of February/beginning of March, then one could speculate. But he was physically in top condition. We analyzed it yesterday. He also said he would do it again,” said Pfeifer ORF. Incidentally, Hannes Reichelt from Salzburg, who resigned in March 2021, suffered a torn cruciate ligament in a downhill fall in the same place exactly four years earlier.