Swiss skier Daniel Albrecht has been injured in a bad crash in training on the classic Streif downhill course in Kitzbühel.

Albrecht lost control in the Austrian resort on Thursday and flew through the air for about 50 metres at almost 140 km/h. He landed badly on his back and came to a stop near the finish line.

He received medical attention for several minutes before being airlifted by helicopter to a local hospital. It was later reported he had been placed in an artificial coma suffering from bleeding on the brain and a lung contusion.

"Daniel is in a stable condition now. He woke up briefly but doctors placed him in an artificial coma," Swiss team spokeswomen Diana Fäh said.

Wolfgang Koller, a doctor in Innsbruck, said Albrecht was not in danger of "immediate death" but cautioned that every outcome "is still possible".

The crash was similar to that of US skier Scott Macartney last year on the Streif. Macartney recovered from his injuries.

Albrecht is eighth in the overall World Cup rankings. The 25-year-old is the reigning super-combined world champion and has four career World Cup victories - three in giant slalom and one in super-combined.

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