Grünenfelder's season over before it begins
Swiss skier Jürg Grünenfelder has been ruled out for the coming season after failing to recover from a summer training injury.
The downhill and super G specialist suffered a horrific fall in August while training with the Swiss squad in Argentina, smashing his knee, injuring a finger and gashing his right eyebrow.
An immediate operation was unable to solve the problem with his knee, and on Monday the 26-year-old underwent a second operation to remove damaged cartilage.
Grünenfelder, whose greatest success was a fourth-place finish at the Nagano Winter Olympics, will need at least six months to recover from the latest operation, and is certain to miss the World Championships in St Anton.
Despite the dramatic nature of his injuries and the extent of his subsequent operations doctors say that Grünenfelder should be able to resume his career after the lengthy layoff.
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