He was the second World Cup regular to suffer a knee injury on Wednesday that requires surgery after Austrian Anna Fenninger sustained a season-ending knee injury while training in Soelden.
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Cook, a native of Ottawa, became the second skier to damage his knee ligaments in a training crash Wednesday after women’s overall champion Anna Fenninger, who was ruled out for the entire season. Sustaining a right knee injury as did Fenninger, Cook is set to undergo surgery and will not return for the rest of the season, according to the Canadian ski federation Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA).
The biggest prize in Alpine skiing this season is the World Cup overall title, given there are no World Championships or Olympics.
“Just to be clear, I am still undecided on whether I will compete in the first race of the season in Solden”, she added. “Her knee hurt a bit … but only later the pain increased”.
Marcel Hirscher has always been the dominant force amongst the men with the Austrian bidding for a fifth consecutive overall crown that would see him draw level with current record holder Marc Girardelli.
Aksel Lund Svindal, overall champion in 2007 and 2009, has also confirmed his presence this weekend after missing last season’s event following a freak injury. “There is hope and a realistic chance that she will be able to continue her career”. She missed several weeks of training on snow but said last week on Austrian TV she was ready to race the season-opener. Last season’s plan was scrapped after a slow start to her season in slalom.
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Shiffrin, while famous for saying after becoming the youngest Olympic slalom champion in Sochi that she dreamed of winning five gold medals in 2018, has more realistically said she doesn’t want to contest the speed events of super-G and, later, downhill if the additions could jeopardize her prowess in the technical events of slalom and giant slalom.
