Petra Vlhová will return to the Alpine World Cup in February at the earliest. The Slovak skier admitted that she the injured right knee has not yet healed and is still causing her problems. Her participation in next year’s WC in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, which will take place from February 4 to 16, is questionable.
“Sometimes I’m in pain and I don’t feel well. I still need time to gather my strength, because I’ve basically lost all of them,” said Vlhová to the APA agency during the Sunday slalom in Semmering, which she watched in the target sector as a spectator.
The Olympic slalom champion from Beijing 2022 originally wanted to return to the competitive slopes in December. At the beginning of the month, however, she admitted that she still felt discomfort in her knee incompatible with a full skiing load, and therefore had to delay her return. Examinations confirmed the good condition of the operated segments of the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus, as well as the high stability of the knee, but revealed cartilage problems that required further special care.
In mid-January, the 29-year-old native of Liptov should again undergo comprehensive medical and stress tests. During this period, he plans to work on his condition and return to skiing exercises to build basic skiing technique.
Vlhová was injured this year in January when she fell during the giant slalom SP on her home slope in Jasná. This was followed by surgery in Switzerland and a demanding process of rehabilitation and strengthening. The elite Slovak skier confirmed that the long competitive break is also mentally demanding.
“Sometimes you’re worse off, sometimes better, it’s a difficult time. I try to stay positive.” Her goal is to get back to the start of the race as soon as possible, but she doesn’t want to rush anything: “It doesn’t sound ideal, but right now I’m thinking less about skiing and more about my knee. Health is the most important thing, even after a career.”
