Ross injured in crash at U.S. Nationals
The U.S. Ski Team’s Laurenne Ross—a World Cup athlete who specializes in the speed events—was injured in a brutal crash on Monday. The skier was competing in the ladies’ U.S. National Championship giant slalom at Sugarloaf Resort in Maine.
After being taken off the hill in a sled, Ross had sustained an unspecified injury to her right knee. According to Ross, further evaluation by doctors is needed before a full diagnosis can be made and she will be off skis for at least the next couple of months.
“I crossed so many finish lines this year — some with a smile and some without — but as I look back I can breathe deeply, because I have no regrets,” she wrote on her Instagram page. “It was a season for learning, for friendship, and for ambition. I had many ups and downs, but am so thankful to have made it this far in my career with all the love and support that surrounds me. I will tack this on to my list of injuries, move on, and come back stronger.
Ross skied to a super-G National Championship title just days earlier. She also had a strong World Cup season, ending up with a ninth-place ranking in downhill and a 17th-place ranking in super-G. Her best World Cup result of the season was Jeongseon, South Korea in the Olympic test event downhill, where she finished just off the podium in fourth place.
Ross is optimistic about her recovery and hopes to be back to full strength in time to qualify for the 2018 U.S. Olympic team.