– It is a shame that a serious accident has to happen for there to be changes, says Aleksander Aamodt Kilde to news It is now three weeks since the Norwegian crashed badly during a downhill race in Wengen. In the last bend before the finish, things went really wrong, and he was taken to hospital by helicopter. The fall resulted in a dislocated shoulder, a large and deep cut in the calf and two operations. He lost a lot of blood. On Instagram, he showed the hard and tough realities. Among other things, a macabre flesh wound in the calf. – He is honestly very lucky to be alive, wrote Kilde’s girlfriend, Mikaela Shiffrin, a few days after the fall in Wengen. IN THE HOSPITAL BED: Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is healthier after the fall in Wengen. Now the training begins for a possible comeback. Photo: Viaplay – What Mikaela wrote is true to some extent, but I didn’t have the fear of death. I didn’t have time to think about that, to be completely honest, says Kilde. Although fatal accidents are very rare in alpine skiing, there have been a few in recent decades. The first death in connection with a World Cup race in Wengen was in 1991, just days before the WC. – A tragedy That time Austrian Gernot Reinstadler lost his life after falling in the same turn as Kilde thundered into the net. Like Kilde, Austrian Reinstadler lost control of the finish jump. The injuries he sustained caused him to die later that night. Here is an news feature from the fatal accident in 1991. We warn about strong images. We warn against strong images. Former alpine skier and current speed coach for the alpine women, Atle Skårdal, witnessed the horrific fall. He stood in the goal area and followed the dramatic minutes. – It was a shock. It was a tragedy. He had no chance of survival after the injuries he received. It is an episode that many people have carried with them for the rest of their lives, Skårdal says, and says that major changes were made in Wengen afterwards. Among other things, the entire “target S”, i.e. the last bends in the track, was changed. The track became wider and the net along the track was moved. In addition, the target jump was reduced. ALPINE HERO: ATLE SKÅRDAL. Photo: Tor Richardsen / NTB – It is impossible to guarantee that there will be no injuries and accidents in the future. But one must minimize the risk, increase the margin of safety and not push the limits all the time. The point is that we have to solve this together, believes Skårdal. Picket fence as protection Another person who remembers the Reinstadler accident well is Jan Einar Thorsen. The bronze winner from the 1992 Olympics was himself present in Wengen in 1991. He described it as a dramatic and powerful experience. The day before the fatal accident, he crashed in exactly the same corner. ALPINE HERO: Jan Einar Thorsen. Photo: Calle Törnstrøm / NTB – When I tried there, there was no network. It was just a picket fence. There were some sticks that had been lashed together with steel wire and made a fence out of it. Maybe you should have already realized that it wasn’t completely inside, says Thorsen to news. NTB wrote at the time that after Thorsen’s fall, the organizer had set up plastic protection along the security fence. But Reinstadler came across the plastic. For Thorsen even that with only a cut in the elbow. The next day, things went horribly wrong. – After all, measures have always been taken as incidents have occurred. Unfortunately, something might happen before you realize it, says Thorsen. DRAMATIC: Here, Gernot Reinstadler is rushed to the helicopter after the horrific fall in 1991. The Austrian’s life could not be saved. Photo: Zuma press Asking for changes Fortunately things went much better with Kilde. He has got his smile back after the accident that shook international skiing, but at the same time opened up about a tough time at a press conference on Thursday. There he simultaneously advocated that FIS must now take action. – I think that FIS has a responsibility now that they are forced to watch the programme. It is something that is very easy to do something with. Everything else for security reasons must be postponed more. What can be done to possibly slow down or that when you fall, you have a better safety net. – The fall itself wasn’t what hurt me, but it was when I got into the net. It is where everything happens, he sums up, and points out that it will now be FIS’s responsibility. This is what it looked like when Kilde crashed in Wengen: Aleksander Aamodt Kilde loses control, and fell badly in Wengen FIS received criticism for organizing two downhill races in Wengen as compensation for canceled races earlier in the season. The dissatisfaction was that the load on the athletes was too great with two races after each other in the longest downhill in the world cup. – Always a risk Skårdal agrees with Kilde that there must be changes, but believes that it is not only FIS’s responsibility. He points out that the athletes, trainers, managers, the national confederations and equipment manufacturers must all contribute. Race director for alpine skiing in the FIS, Markus Waldner, says the following in a comment to news: – It is a shame that we lose such a good athlete as Kilde. And it’s sad that he won’t be with the rest of the season. But this is part of the sport. There is always a risk of accidents, says the race director. He thinks it is difficult to make safety any better than it is today, but says that FIS is working on the racing program before next season. news’s ALPINE EXPERT: Lars Elton Myhre Photo: Lars Thomas Nordby / news news’s alpine expert Lars Elton Myhre believes that the sport is “fighting against” the commercial forces. He is aware that the debate around security is important. – It has been an extremely tight race programme. It is very easy to say that it has been too hard when there is an accident like with Aleksander, he believes. – The whole industry “craves” for it to be spectacular. And it’s easy to give gas for everyone involved. And then the reality hits you when the ugly injuries come, says Myhre.
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Took action after deaths on the same turn in 1991 – now Kilde demands change from FIS – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
