Andreas Wellinger sidelined for the entire next season
Jun 07, 2019·Ski JumpingAndreas Wellinger sustained a serious knee injury during a training camp in Hinzenbach (AUT) and will, therefore, miss the entire upcoming season.
"At the landing, I felt pain in the right knee and the knee felt unstable afterward. In an MRI examination in Ulm a rupture of the ACL was diagnosed. So far I felt really good and the training went according to plan. This makes this injury now even more annoying", said the 23-year-old.
Andreas Wellinger already had surgery on Thursday in Munich. "The surgery went well. Tendon tissue from another area of the body was transplanted in order to replace the ACL and both menisci were repaired. Andreas Wellinger will have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days before he can start with the first rehabilitation measures", explained Dr. Peter Brucker.
Next goal: Oberstdorf 2021
Just a few days after this setback, the Olympic Champion has already set the World Championships in Oberstdorf 2021 to be his next big goal. "I have already overcome various setbacks during the course of my career and so I know how to deal with it. I will focus on the rehabilitation over the next months and then I'll set my sights on the World Championships at home in Oberstdorf."
Wellinger's injury is also very bad news for Stefan Horngacher, who has just started his first training period as head coach of the German team. "This is extremely bad for Andreas personally and also for the entire team. It will be a huge challenge for all of us to compensate for his absence next winter. We wish Andreas a speedy recovery and we are sure that he will be reinforcement for our team again in the 2020/21 season."