Alessandro Hämmerle ends his season prematurely! The snowboard cross Olympic champion decided this after a seventh place in the qualification for the World Cup in Veysonnaz (Switzerland). The man from Vorarlberg is still suffering from the after-effects of two concussions that he sustained when he fell during training on the Reiteralm in mid-January and at the beginning of March at the World Championships in Bakuriani (GEO).
“After practice and qualifying today, I had to accept that I’m not 100 percent ready to race with three competitors in a heat. I’m still dealing with the aftermath of the head injuries.” So he doesn’t want to risk another fall. “I will end the season early and forgo the races in Veysonnaz and next week in Mount St. Anne,” said Hämmerle.
He imagined the season very differently. “Nevertheless, I’m happy that I was able to win a World Cup race in Cervinia. I’m still fully motivated and after a necessary break I’ll put my focus back on the coming season,” emphasized the man from Vorarlberg.
After Alessandro Hämmerle did not start, the ÖSV will be represented in Veysonnaz on Thursday in the final on Thursday (12.30 p.m.) with the men’s trio of David Pickl (qualifying 10th), Jakob Dusek (13th) and Julian Lüftner (14th). Luca Hämmerle and Andreas Kroh missed out on making the top 32, as did Pia Zerkhold (18th) in the women’s 16 final.