Slalom top Holdener (30) speaks for the first time about her injury: “I first have to learn to walk again.”

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>

There is snow outside, sweat is dripping inside. Wendy Holdener (30) is fighting like a lioness for her comeback after her ankle fracture. “I would like to continue racing this winter. But I only do it when I’m no longer in pain. My chances are 50:50.”

We meet Holdener at the new Lärchenplatz training hall in Magglingen BE. She has been training here for weeks under the guidance of Jan Seiler. The scratch training expert from the Swiss Federal University of Sports explains to Holdener exactly what to do – this time she has to push and pull weights with a barbell. This is not unusual for Holdener; After 13 years in the ski circus, there is hardly an exercise that she has not done before.

She doesn’t watch the women’s slalom live

But everything is different now. Why? Holdener’s left foot is wrapped in a vacuum cushion and protected by a plastic orthosis. ‘I’m going to the doctor next Wednesday. Then we’ll see what it looks like on the inside of my ankle.”

Holdener isn’t thinking about skiing yet. Or is it? “I watch the men’s races on television. Women’s rarely. When the night slalom in Flachau was on the agenda, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It irritates me that I can’t be there myself.”

The world champion must be patient – ​​whether she wants to or not. A plate and a few screws fix the lower part of the fibula; this requires the torn syndesmotic ligament to heal. In technical jargon, she suffers from a Weber C fracture.

But what exactly happened on that ominous December 11, 2023 during slalom training in Pozza di Fassa (It)? “I crossed my skis in transition and flew right into the net,” Holdener said. Their bond did not loosen upon impact. Her left foot twisted and her skis were destroyed.

Initially, the woman from Schwyz also had problems with her knee, but her fear of a cruciate ligament tear later turned out to be unfounded. “It was the hardest fall of my career. Two weeks after that I was in a hole and didn’t feel like doing anything. But then I started looking ahead,” she says.

Particularly bitter: If the B-net had not been set up right next to her slalom run, Holdener would have saved herself – or so she assumes. “I would have needed two meters more space. “So it was just bad luck,” she says.

Holdener is looking forward to the Streif

Back to Magglingen. After Kondi training, Holdener shows the scar on his ankle and massages it. “That feels good,” she says. A return to skiing is not yet a problem. “First I have to learn to walk again,” she says, smiling.

Then Holdener takes the crutches, says goodbye and says: “This weekend I’ll be watching the men’s races in Kitzbühel on the couch – I’m looking forward to that.”

Source : Blick