As of: March 15, 2024, 3:35 p.m
By: Korbinian Kothny
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Despite tearing his cruciate ligament, Felix Neureuther wanted to compete at the 2018 Olympic Games.
If they had won, there would have been a scandal.
Munich – It has now been over six years since Felix Neureuther celebrated his last World Cup victory.
On November 12, 2017, the slalom specialist stood at the top of the winner's podium for the last time in Levi, Finland.
And very few people would have guessed back then that it would stay that way.
Neureuther tore his cruciate ligament shortly before the Olympics
Despite his 33 years, Neureuther was still one of the absolute world elite.
Bronze at the 2017 World Cup and fourth place in the 2016/17 Slalom World Cup underline the ambitions of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen native at this time.
After five World Cup medals and 13 World Cup victories, Neureuther still had one big goal: the Olympics.
Pyeongchang was to be the career highlight for the most successful German Ski World Cup rider.
But less than two weeks after his World Cup victory in Levi, Neureuther, who recently reported on a tricky hotel scene, tore his cruciate ligament during training.
At first he didn't want to give up his dream of the Olympics.
Felix Neureuther tore his cruciate ligament in 2017.
© IMAGO / Sven Simon
Neureuther had a crazy plan for Olympic victory
“I actually wanted to attack again after I tore my cruciate ligament in 2017.
I wanted to be the best slalom skier of the 2017/18 season.
My big goal was to win the slalom at the 2018 Olympics in South Korea,” explains the now 39-year-old in an interview with Die
Zeit
.
Neureuther had even come up with a plan for how he would react in the event of an Olympic victory.
“And then, I thought to myself, I would give the gold medal back,” surprises the slalom expert with his crazy plan.
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Neureuther ultimately decides for surgery and against the Olympics
But why?
“I didn't want to accept the medal to make a statement against the undesirable developments surrounding the awarding and implementation of the Olympic Games, against this 'ever bigger and more expensive' thing,” explains Neureuther.
The 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi in particular were hard to beat in terms of gigantism.
Pyeongchang 2018, on the other hand, was considered “the greenest games of all time” at the time.
As is well known, Neureuther was ultimately unable to go through with his plan.
After some hesitation, the ski ace decided against conservative treatment and opted for surgery.
The end of the Olympics.
Neureuther only returned to the World Cup in December 2018 and ended his career on March 17, 2019.
Joana Hählen, on the other hand, has been racing in the World Cup for almost two years without cruciate ligaments in both knees... (
kk
)