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It’s one of those moving downhill stories that started almost like a fairy tale in Val Gardena. It was December 18, 2021 when Yannick Chabloz, then 21 years old from Nidwalden, shot to 13th place during his second World Cup appearance at the Saslong. The experts agreed that day that the Beckenrieder with parents from Vaud had everything he needed for a great skiing career.
Five weeks later, the older brother of freeride world champion Maxime Chabloz was selected for the Olympic Games in Beijing. But what starts with the realization of a boyhood dream turns into a real nightmare: Chabloz flies heavily into the safety fence during the downhill combination and ends up in a Chinese hospital with fractures to his shoulder blade, wrist, metacarpal and finger. “From a purely medical point of view, I lacked nothing there, but in terms of comfort it cannot be compared to a hospital in Switzerland. And because of the pandemic, I was completely isolated there. The staff were bundled up in full-body protective suits.”
Fight mental blocks
Chabloz needs six months to fully recover from his unpleasant trip to China. But ten days after his competitive comeback in Val Gardena (33rd place), the top talent is already back in the rescue sled. What happened?
During the second training session on the brutally selective Pista Stelvio in Bormio, he suffered a broken spinous process and compression fractures in the upper thoracic spine. The speed specialist, whose residence is not far from Marco Odermatt’s apartment in Beckenried, has not competed since.
Chabloz resumed ski training in August. But in September, Yannick made it clear in an interview with Blick that he had not yet come to terms with the serious setbacks. “Since these two falls I have had to fight a mental blockage. The subconscious kept holding me back a little during the last few training runs.”
Serious back problems
Hoping to solve this blockage a little more with each additional kilometer of descent, Chabloz flew with his teammates to the speed camp in Panorama (Ka) in November. But after a few days, severe back pain forced him to return home.
It is currently unclear when Chabloz can return to the World Cup circuit. “Yannick really wants to participate in races, but in his current condition that would make no sense for him,” explains downhill coach Vitus Lüönd. Head coach Tom Stauffer added: “There is currently no timeline for Yannick. Before we even think about starting a competition with him, he must first be able to train properly again. And his back doesn’t allow that at the moment. There are days when he feels fine, but then unfortunately he keeps getting severe back pain.”
Victim of the performance density in your own team
Former slalom giant Manfred Mölgg (41) of Italy is particularly bothered by Chabloz. The 2007 vice world champion has been race director of Yannick’s supplier Nordica since this season. “This is not an easy situation for us, Chabloz is one of our great hopes for the future in the speed sector. And when I saw last week in Val Gardena how many riders with higher marks reached the top 15, it hurt me especially that Yannick could not take advantage of the conditions in this race,” sighs Mölgg, who in the same breath thinks back to His The Patience of the protégé appeals: “No matter how difficult it is for a young driver, Yannick needs this break if he really wants to come back strong.”
Everything would probably be easier for Chabloz if the Swiss downhill team wasn’t so strong at the moment. The fact is: just a few years ago, a place in the top 15 was enough for a regular World Cup spot in the Swiss downhill team. Because that was not the case last winter, Chabloz did not have time to start training during his comeback in Bormio. Instead, he had to participate in the team’s internal qualifying in the second training run, which ended with another fall. If Chabloz returns this season, there will be even more pressure on him in qualifying. That’s why the question is whether this downhill story will have a glorious ending.
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
