Job's message for Karl

Benjamin Karl, Austria's most successful raceboarder of the last year's has suffered various injuries in an accident which occurred last week already during a training session in Carezza, Italy.

The 32-year-old from Wilhelmsburg not only sustained a fracture of his right ankle bone but also tore two ligaments.

While the four-time World Champion and two-time Olympic medallist was aiming for a conservative treatment at first, he then changed his mind and underwent surgery in Hochrum, Austria where Dr. Christian Fink successfully fixed the rapture with two screws.

“By undergoing surgery the chances for an Olympic start in PyeongChang is bigger now. And that is my main goal. You can never be sure that a conservational treatment really works out, and I probably would also have been forced to undergo surgery and therefore would then have lost precious time. Now, if everything works out ideally, I might be able to get back on snow in five to six weeks“, said Karl.

Nevertheless, his third Olympic's are in extreme danger, as the father of one will not only miss this season's first World Cup stops in Carezza (DEC 14) and Cortina d'Ampezzo DEC 15+16), Italy but also his home soil races in Lackenhof and (JAN 5+6) and Bad Gastein (JAN 12+13) beginning of next year.

In addition, it is also doubtable if Karl will be ready to come back in time before the international qualifier period ends at January 21, 2018.

“If I get a shot at the Olympics although I might not have raced a single qualifier event is off my hands. That's the job of the officials.”