Matthias Mayer sidelined after super G crash

Olympic downhill champion Matthias Mayer of Austria crashed during Monday’s super G training on the Pitztal Glacier and has suffered bruising to both lower legs at the cuff of his ski boot. An MRI examination conducted by Dr. Karl Golser in Innsbruck indicated only bruising, but Mayer will still miss roughly a week of training, if not more.

Whether the 25-year-old will be able to start at the Audi FIS World Cup giant slalom opener in Soelden, Austria, on Oct. 25 will be determined in the coming days.

“It was a classic inner ski error, and that’s not very good with the long super G skis. I got hit on both lower legs,” said Mayer. “I hope that I can start painlessly in Soelden, but if it is not so then I am sorry to miss the race. As it stands now the chances for a start … I will be able to say more accurately only in the next few days.”

Last season’s Soelden winner Marcel Hirscher noted earlier in the month that his teammate Mayer, traditionally more of a speed specialist, was training fast in giant slalom at Pitztal.