Aleksander Aamodt Kilde not sure if he will race again after horror crash – ‘It’s about being able to walk’

Kilde was competing during the downhill when he crashed into the barriers and had to be airlifted to hospital, later posting some graphic pictures of his condition and the surgery he underwent on social media.

Speaking on a call with reporters, Kilde reframed his recovery around returning to everyday life – not racing again.

“The situation is still unclear. I am positive, but this is going to take time. As of now, it’s too early to say if I can compete at the highest level again,” he said.

“Right now, it’s about being able to walk again. It’s not about returning with skis on, but returning to everyday life.”

He continued: “Now I’m in a very early phase. Nerves are involved, so when that’s the case, things are very uncertain.

“Now it’s about getting an overview of how long things can take. You never know how long this is going to take.”

The start of 2024 has seen a series of brutal injuries to different skiers in a worrying trend for the sport.

On the same weekend that Kilde was injured, French star Alexis Pinturault tore his ACL whilst a week later Slovakian technical specialist Petra Vlhova tore her knee ligaments in her home race in Jasna.

Corinne Suter also tore her ACL on the same jump that Shiffrin crashed on.