Visintin after horror fall: “Pain is almost unbearable”

He returned home with a severe concussion, a dislocated elbow and torn ligaments in his left arm. Visintin's story describes the sometimes dramatic moments immediately after the fall, when he lay unconscious on the slope.

How are you feeling 3 days after the fall?

Omar Visintin: “I'm doing pretty well. I have a cast on my left elbow, the concussion doesn't cause me any problems. I have bruises everywhere and also whiplash, but I’m resting now anyway.”

What is the future schedule?

“I will be operated on on Tuesday at the Madonnina Clinic in Milan by specialist Riccardo Accetta. A torn ligament on the elbow is repaired. The socket of the elbow is fine despite the dislocation; a small piece of the bone has splintered away. An operation would not have been absolutely necessary, but we decided to do so in consultation with the doctors.”

Why wouldn't it have been necessary?

“Without surgery I would have had to wear a cast for 3 weeks and then do another 3 weeks of rehab. Then there would have been a risk that the ligament would not grow properly and I would no longer be able to stretch and bend my arm properly in the future. If I have surgery, I can take off the cast after a few days and start rehab more quickly. But I have the certainty that the torn ligament will be stable.”

Do you remember how it all happened?

“After my fall I was briefly unconscious. When I came to, I knew there was something wrong with the arm. The pain was almost unbearable. They took me to the finish line with the skidoo, then with the helicopter to Dr. Schenk brought to Schruns. When they cut my racing suit away from my body, I was in incredible pain. It was then decided to put my elbow back in place under general anesthesia. When I woke up, I was able to leave the hospital straight away and return to the team hotel.”

Omar Visintin was treated here after his fall. © Screenshot

Have you watched the scene again on TV? “I even saw it several times and analyzed it with the coaches. There was simply not enough space. Everyone wanted to travel on this line. In the end I tried to lift my board over Liam Moffatt, who was in front of me, but I couldn't. It was my fault in the end.”

Should you have been more patient, i.e. waited longer before attacking?

“More patience is easy to say. I got off badly at the start, but I immediately reconnected with the people in front. I didn't want to overtake straight away and even drove upright after them so as not to be too fast. My board was super fast, we had an awesome wax. At this point I decided to attack. In the end it was too tight.”

The day before, Omar Visintin had won the qualification.

Is the Olympics in danger in February 2022? What are the time forecasts?

“I will definitely skip the next races in Cervinia (December 18th) and in Krasnoyarsk/Russia (January 8th and 9th). My goal is to be at the start again at the two races in Valmalenco (January 22nd) and in Cortina d'Ampezzo (January 29th). I don't want to rush anything, maybe I'll just use the races for training. I don’t want to take any risks, the focus is on the Olympic race in Beijing.”

Do you have to worry about starting at the Olympics?

"No. The prerequisite is that I get fully healthy again. We have a very strong team, but I was second on the podium at the Olympic dress rehearsal two weeks ago in Secret Garden, and I was fastest in the qualifying in Montafon. My greatest strengths are my head and will. The trainers in charge also know that, and that’s why I don’t have to worry about a starting place.”

The sympathy after your fall was huge, especially on social media...

“I was very impressed and incredibly pleased. And it gives me even more strength to come back faster and, above all, healthy. I can’t say thank you enough.”

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Visintin after horror fall: “Pain is almost unbearable”

It can happen so quickly: Instead of being on the victory podium, Omar Visintin had to go to hospital with numerous injuries at the 2nd Boardercross World Cup.

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