The infamous Pista Stelvio was Marco Schwarz’s downfall during his racing debut. Austria’s skiing hopeful suffered a torn cruciate ligament and medial meniscus tear as well as cartilage damage in his right knee when he fell on the Bormio descent on Thursday. He will be out for the rest of the season. The ÖSV announced the diagnosis following an examination in Innsbruck. Schwarz was transferred to Tyrol following his fall.
Video: Black fell in Bormio
“Hopefully it’s not that bad, let’s see how the investigation turns out,” ÖSV head coach Marko Pfeifer harbored a faint hope that didn’t come true. It happened in a small compression during a left swing. After his departure, Black landed in the safety net. The Carinthian left the scene of the accident and the finish area supported by helpers and complained of pain in his right knee following his mishap. “I immediately sensed that something wasn’t 100% right,” said Schwarz following the diagnosis.
Also read: Marco Schwarz: Rehabilitation as the fifth discipline (OÖNplus)
The journey was promising
He had shown promise on the downhill classic following fast part-time times. The 28-year-old, who traveled to Bormio as the overall World Cup leader, wanted to finally establish himself as a top rider in all classes this winter. Madonna’s slalom winner was the only World Cup athlete to achieve top 10 placements in all disciplines. Schwarz had generally nurtured hope that he would be the first Austrian since Marcel Hirscher to win the big crystal ball in 2019.
Also read: Surprise victory in Bormio: No Austrian on the podium
Now he has to undergo an operation on Friday at the Hochrum Private Clinic with specialist Christian Fink. Fink recently operated on football star David Alaba following his cruciate ligament rupture. “The goal is now clear: I want to get back to where I was. I will give everything to achieve that,” said Schwarz in his first statement following the diagnosis.
Not the first forced break
This is not the first long forced break for him. Black has to deal with serious injuries almost every two years. In February 2019, he tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee. After tearing the syndesmotic ligament in his left ankle in November 2021, he spent a long time looking for form.
“As feared, the diagnosis was unfortunately very bad for Marco. The season is of course over, it’s a bitter loss for the whole team. Of course, if the figurehead simply fails, it will certainly be very, very difficult,” said Alpine boss Herbert Mandl. We have to keep fighting, even if the mood at the moment isn’t all that positive. “There’s a Super-G tomorrow. The boys are aware that it’s a fine line they’re walking on. They have to risk everything to be at the front.”
