American Tommy Ford airlifted to hospital after serious crash in giant slalom race
Injured at World Cup event in Switzerland; Pinturault makes it back-to-back wins
American skier Tommy Ford was airlifted to hospital after crashing in a World Cup giant slalom on Saturday.
Ford crashed three gates from the finish after going wide into rough snow beside the course. His skis touched and he fell forward, sliding down the hill first on his neck and left shoulder.
The United States ski team later said Ford's "head and neck injuries are minor and resolving nicely. He has a knee injury that is undergoing further evaluation."
Ford knocked over a course-side worker before coming to a stop close to safety nets beside the finish. He initially lay still with his face against the snow though was soon conscious and talking with medical staff.
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A helicopter landed by the course 20 minutes later to airlift the 31-year-old racer, who is from Bend, Oregon.
Ford has one giant slalom win and two more podium finishes in 12 seasons on the World Cup circuit. He wore bib No. 4 on Saturday as one of the top-ranked racers after top-10 finishes in his past four starts.
Ford's next scheduled giant slalom is in six weeks — on Feb. 19 at the world championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
Tied for 9th on all-time wins list
The race resumed after a 30-minute pause and Alexis Pinturault won for a second straight day, topping his superb performance from Friday.
Pinturault defied fast-fading light in the second run to post a huge winning margin of 1.26 seconds over Filip Zubcic, the runner-up on back-to-back days.
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First-run leader Loic Meillard could not give Switzerland its first win since 2008 in its classic giant slalom. A big error early in his run left him 1.65 back in third place.
Calgary's Erik Read was 13th among 29 finishers with a two-run time of 2:21.01, 2.65 seconds behind Pinturault (2:18.36).
Pinturault's third straight giant slalom victory was a 33rd career win in World Cup races, matching American great Bode Miller in ninth place on the men's all-time list.
"I'm pretty proud of it," said Pinturault, whose ski technician, Guntram Mathis, used to work with Miller. "It brings something really special into the story."
Pinturault seized the lead in the season-long giant slalom standings from home favourite Marco Odermatt, who placed fourth, 1.67 back.
The Frenchman also extended his lead in the World Cup overall points race ahead of Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, the defending champion. Kilde's results — fifth place, after fourth on Friday — were impressive for the speed race specialist.
Pinturault's wire-to-wire win Friday had also been by more than a second, though he noted the light was more challenging Saturday. At Adelboden, the slope darkens quickly after the sunshine slips behind the mountains around 2 p.m. when the leaders start their second run.
