Marcel Hirscher's second comeback in the Ski World Cup is still a long time coming. The 36-year-old, who competes for the Netherlands, is not fit enough to compete in Levi next week after contracting a virus.
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- Marcel Hirscher's comeback in the Ski World Cup has been delayed due to a viral illness that continues to prevent him from competing.
- The 36-year-old is in an intensive recovery phase and will also miss the slalom in Levi, but hopes to start on November 22 in Gurgl.
- After successful rehab following a cruciate ligament rupture, a cold recently slowed him down and his comeback has therefore been postponed again.
After missing the giant slalom at the start of the season in Sölden, Marcel Hirscher will also be missing the slalom in Levi on November 16. Those close to him confirmed to ORF on Friday afternoon that he is still not fit to compete. The situation will be reassessed depending on the progress of his training.
According to the team, three weeks after contracting the virus, Hirscher is not putting in the necessary effort in training. In addition, the coordination between giant slalom and slalom units is difficult under the current conditions. However, he wants to continue competing in both disciplines.
Hirscher is currently in a build-up phase in which the training runs are being extended and intensified step by step. While other athletes have already completed around 60 days of skiing, Hirscher has only completed around ten. "I'll be at the start as soon as I feel ready, it still needs some time," the eight-time overall World Cup winner is quoted as saying by ORF.
Comeback in Austria?
The next opportunity to start will be at the slalom in Gurgl on November 22. Should this date also come too early, the technical competition in Val d'Isère in mid-December would be an option. An appearance in the giant slalom in Beaver Creek (November 28-30), on the other hand, would be rather unlikely.
Hirscher had been working on his return for months following his cruciate ligament rupture last December. His rehab went without complications and his knee withstood all the strain. In the training halls in Zoetermeer and Hamburg-Wittenburg as well as in Zermatt, the Salzburg native showed great improvement - until a cold slowed him down.
After last year's bitter end, his second comeback has been postponed for the time being. But anyone who knows Hirscher knows that giving up is not part of his vocabulary.
