This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The unforgiving World Cup alpine circuit has ended another Utahn's season.
Alpine skier Steven Nyman, who grew up on the slopes of Sundance Resort, suffered what he described as a season-ending left knee injury Friday following a crash in the men's downhill race at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Nyman, who turns 35 in mid-February, was airlifted off the course after colliding with the safety netting during his downhill run.
The Sundance ski racer took to social media to not only announce that his season is over, but that he was doing fine. Nyman posted a photo of himself in a hospital bed with scrapes all over his face, the aftereffects of the significant crash he'd just endured.
"Well seasons finished for me," he wrote. "All the important parts are fine, just a blown knee and a scraped up face. I will be back!!! Rehab starts now."
Nyman went on to congratulate American teammate Travis Ganong on his eventual victory. The 28-year-old from Truckee, Calif., won his second World Cup gold after Nyman as well as French skier Valentine Giraud-Moine suffered a severe crash on the downhill course. According to the French Ski Federation, the 25-year-old skier dislocated both of his knees in the wreck.
Nyman, the best American downhill skier in recent years, is a three-time Olympian and has 11 career World Cup podiums to his name, including three World Cup gold medals. Seven of his 11 podiums have come since the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Nyman finished third overall in downhill at last season's 2018 Olympic test event in Jeongsen, South Korea.
Nyman is flying back to the United States for further evaluation on his knee, according to the U.S. Ski Team.
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