Urs Kryenbühl is once again threatened with elimination.

Swiss ski ace threatened with extinction again

Not again: After a forced break of almost two years, the Swiss speed specialist Urs Kryenbühl has to return home because of a knee injury sustained during training. Was that it for the man from central Switzerland?

05 December 2024

From: sn

The 30-year-old, who only recently returned to the World Cup after a long injury break, is in any case facing another long forced break.

The Swiss ski team announced on Instagram that the B-squad athlete sustained a complex knee injury during downhill training in Beaver Creek, Canada, and would be examined in the coming days.

Injury file fills up

For Kryenbühl, the renewed injury is another chapter in his injury history. The most difficult chapter occurred at the beginning of 2021: Kryenbühl had a spectacular fall at the finish jump of the Kitzbühel downhill. The consequences were serious - a broken collarbone, a concussion and torn cruciate ligaments and medial ligaments in his right knee. During his last World Cup appearance almost two years ago, it happened again: In December 2022, he had to give up in the Super-G in Bormio with severe knee pain. The diagnosis at the time was a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

After that, Kryenbühl distanced himself from racing. So much so that his return was even under discussion, but then the 30-year-old took fourth place at the Swiss Downhill Championships in Davos in March of this year. That sealed his fate: he wanted to try again. Now the same knee is causing problems as it did twice before.

hope for another comeback

Despite the painful experiences, Kryenbühl never lost the courage to fight back. His return to the World Cup after a long injury break was associated with great hopes, which have now been dashed again.

The chances of a comeback are good. A few months ago, the Swiss downhill coach Vitus Lüönd said: "Urs has developed enormously in the last few months. If he stays healthy, I'm pretty sure he can get back up to the top of the world." If he returns, it could be exciting again.