When Marc Gisin finished his training run in Val Gardena/Gröden, the Swiss was visibly relieved. However, this was not because the 1.98 m mountain of a man had clocked a particularly fast time but rather because he had successfully conquered the Saslong after his terrible fall last year.

In 2018, Gisin had faced a serious fall on the downhill suffering a craniocerebral trauma, a fractured pelvis and several fractured ribs when he took off from the first Camel Hump. After a long rehabilitation program, the 31-year-old is now back on his skis and working feverishly on his comeback in the Alpine Ski World Cup.

The return to the Saslong represented a major milestone for Gisin. Although he finished third last in training, more than six and a half seconds behind, the time was of only secondary importance. What mattered was that he safely mastered the Camel Humps thus facing his fears and overcoming a mental blockade. This brought the speed specialist another step closer towards his competition comeback.

Gisin will not participate in the two competitions in Val Gardena/Gröden. The Swiss racer from Engelberg wants to compete in a few more trianing runs before returning to the start of a World Cup race. He and his coaches will decide how to continue with the other big downhill classics scheduled in January.

Photocredit: Instagram/Michelle Gisin