Aussie skier, competing without ACL, suffers heavy fall in training

Australian skier Daisy Thomas has suffered a crash throughout slopestyle coaching, placing her 2026 Winter Olympic participation unsure.

Thomas crashed on the ultimate leap of a difficult slopestyle course within the closing moments of the observe session.

She was handled on the backside of the slope in Livigno and is presently being assessed by medical doctors.

The Australian Olympic Committee stated an replace can be supplied as quickly as potential.

The qualification runs are set to happen Saturday morning native time.

Thomas, 18, had ruptured her ACL in what she described as a “freak” crash on the Beijing World Cup huge air occasion simply 48 days in the past.

Scans confirmed Thomas had severely broken her knee, however the courageous teenager advised ABC Sport in December that as a result of it was an remoted compete tear, she would do no additional harm by persevering with to ski on it.

“I used to be actually fortunate I did not do any harm to any of the opposite ligaments round it,” she stated in December.

“It was only a little bit of a freak accident, which is an effective factor, but in addition dangerous factor as a result of it wasn’t actually any fault of my very own, so it hasn’t actually affected my confidence vastly.

“I needed to communicate to a variety of totally different folks, and so they’re stated finally the selection is yours.

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“It isn’t going be an enormous unfavorable in case you’re snowboarding with out the ACL, It isn’t going heal by itself and we’re not going waste time attempting to determine if it is going heal by itself. We’ll simply settle for that it is gone after which maintain going to the Olympics after which afterwards get surgical procedure. 

“And I used to be proud of that anyway.

“At first I used to be like, ‘Oh, like my world’s like ending’, however for me for the time being, I do not really feel like I am actually having an harm.”

Thomas advised reporters in Livigno on Thursday she barely seen it.

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“I did my ACL a couple of month-and-a-half in the past, so I am simply snowboarding with out an ACL on the minute,” she stated. 

“I am sturdy sufficient, I am succesful sufficient, and I’ve bought my methods again, so I will do it and I do not actually discover it in any respect.” 

“The aim nonetheless stays the identical — I would like to get an Olympic medal.”

Thomas is a silver medallist in huge air from the 2024 Youth Winter Olympic Video games and had a career-best end of sixth at Secret Backyard the day of her harm.

Vonn will get by coaching

Skiers competing with out ACL has been a sizzling subject of dialog, with American alpine snowboarding legend Lindsey Vonn confirming she utterly ruptured her ACL in a crash finally week’s World Cup occasion in Crans Montana.

Vonn did, nonetheless, verify that she’s going to nonetheless compete and took part in coaching on Friday.

“We’ve got been doing in depth remedy,” Vonn, the 41-year-old 2010 Olympic downhill champion stated earlier this week.

“I have been consulting with medical doctors, been within the gymnasium, and right this moment I went snowboarding.

“Contemplating how my knee feels, I really feel secure, I really feel sturdy. My knee just isn’t swollen, and with the assistance of a knee brace, I’m assured that I can compete on Sunday.

“This isn’t, clearly, what I had hoped for. I have been working actually onerous to come back into these Video games in a a lot totally different place.

“I do know what my probabilities had been earlier than the crash, and I do know my probabilities aren’t the identical because it stands right this moment, however I do know there’s nonetheless an opportunity and so long as there’s an opportunity, I’ll strive.”

Vonn has received two World Cup downhill races this season in St Mortiz and Zauchensee, turning into the oldest girl to ever accomplish that.