The return to the snow of Cochran-Siegle, with a different approach but ... "I'll be the one pre-injury"

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The winner of the Bormio super-g has put his skis back in recent days at Mammoth Mountain, more than three months after the Kitzbuehel crash. His story to Ski Racing Media, with the Olympic goal and greater "control".

Saturday 8 May 2021 5 minutes reading time

Ryan Cochran-Siegle had been, up to that day on the Streif (when Urs Kryenbuehl was also injured), the revelation of a season that had seen the American talent conquer, in the space of ten days, the first podium in the World Cup. with second place in the descent on the Saslong, followed on December 29 by the first triumph, literally dominating the super-g on the Stelvio. Val Gardena and Bormio, for a dream campaign and the goal of playing for the Cortina world medals in Italy. Then, on January 22, the flight in the networks of the Hausbergkante, in the first of the two Kitz runs (after setting the best time trial in practice); the diagnosis is chilling, with a very delicate fracture of the cervical spine, precisely of the C7 vertebra. At first, the son and grandson of art had hoped for a world miracle, but it was soon realized that a surgical operation would be necessary, joining the C7 and C6 vertebrae for an obviously longer recovery, but also more reliable. And so, over three months after the injury, in recent days Cochran-Siegle was back on skis, during the meeting of the US national team at Mammoth Mountain; the 29-year-old from Vermont talked about it to “Ski Racing Media”, explaining in detail his feelings and prospects, already thinking about the Olympic season. "I feel I can return to the pre-injury level - explains Ryan immediately - This surgery, fortunately, will not be limiting in any way for my complete recovery". For now, quiet training in the free field, for the poles we will have to wait for the first rallies after the spring break, indicatively for the month of August. “When you've been missing skiing for so long, you appreciate being here doing what you love so much more. The accident? I didn't have full control of the ski and will have to work in general to have more stability. It is obvious, in our sport there are a thousand variables and there will always be the risk of injury, but I will have a more analytical approach from now on, evaluating better when it makes sense to take risks and when it is necessary to be more cautious ". No one has ever had any doubts about Cochran-Siegle's talent, something could change right after this new stop, even if the nature of a "crazy horse" will have to remain so to always be as fast as we have seen in the past season in particular. . The words of the US downhill skier are important in this sense, as is the awareness of having to leave again with peace of mind: "Now I don't know where I will be compared to the others when I start the real workouts, but I have a very clear idea of what I have to do. to return to the level I had reached. At the same time, I don't want to think about the pressure that there may be to get back there in the World Cup, get the Olympic qualification and everything else. "

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