The doctor who operated Reichelt: "A possible return". Head coach Puelacher: "I'll decide later"

The reactions at Austria after the terrible injury to the 39-year-old Salzburger. Dr Golser: "Right knee destroyed, it will take much more than the classic 6 months".

Monday 30 December 2019 3 minutes reading time

A real shock at Austria, with the addition a few hours later of the serious injury also occurred to Christopher Neumayer, also forced to end the season early on the Stelvio. The Bormio weekend was black for the Wunderteam and for Hannes Reichelt, who may have ended his career with the fall at the attack of the curve of Fontana Lunga; the 39-year-old from Salzburg found himself with his right knee completely destroyed, as confirmed by the doctor who operated on Sunday, Dr. Karl Golser, on the ORF microphones. â€œHannes is in a good mood and positive for a possible return, which I cannot rule out. Of course, this is not an injury that can be recovered in six months, since in addition to the anterior cruciate ligament, the external ligaments and the external and internal meniscus were completely torn, as well as the bony parts ". The head coach of the men's sector, Andreas Puelacher, speaks of â€œshock for him and for all of us, but we cannot say now what will become of Hannes' career. He will have to decide calmly in the coming weeks, to understand whether or not to try to return. " Thirteen World Cup victories, the last at the Aspen 2017 finals (although this year had started very well and with renewed competitiveness) in his favorite specialty, that super-g that gave him a specialty crystal ball (2008) and the world title at Beaver Creek 2015, although the feat on the Streif will remain forever in the hearts of all the Austrian people, when he won the descent of Kitzbuehel (25 January 2014) for the first and only time in his career . Twenty-four hours before operating on his back, renouncing the Olympic dream in Sochi, Reichelt demonstrated an extraordinary temperament. The one he will need again to hope even to get back on track, at over 40 years.

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