Maier Training Lightly at Obertauern
Advice
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
Less than five weeks after he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident, Austrian ski champion Hermann Maier has recovered well enough to join his teammates at the national training center in the Alps.Obertauern, Austria, Sept. 28, 2001 (AP)–Less than five weeks after he broke his leg in a motorcycle accident, Austrian ski champion Hermann Maier has recovered well enough to join his teammates at the national training center in the Alps.
But the national team’s physician, Dr. Artur Trost, said Thursday that the 28-year-old Maier was doing only light training with weights and a stationary bike. It appeared unlikely that he would be ready to compete in the Salt Lake City Olympics.
“It’s clear that Hermann is pleased and relieved to be able to train again back in his environment,” said Heini Bergmueller, who heads Austria’s high-altitude Olympic training camp.
Maier, a two-time Olympic champion nicknamed “The Herminator,” broke his right leg when the motorcycle he was riding struck a car near the town of Radstadt, just south of Salzburg, on Aug. 24. Doctors have said he won’t be back on skis before the end of the year.