ALPINE SKIING: Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde suffers achilles rupture in fresh injury blow

Norwegian alpine skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has ruptured his Achilles tendon in a crash during downhill training in Chile, the Norwegian Ski Federation said on Thursday.

The 34-year-old is returning home to Innsbruck, Austria, for further medical examinations and to evaluate treatment options with his medical team. No timeline was given for his recovery.

Kilde has already had multiple surgeries and faced a life-threatening infection following a high-speed crash in Wengen in January 2024. He was named in Norway's team for this season.

The speed specialist sat out the second half of last season and withdrew from the Winter Olympics in February.

Kilde won the World Cup downhill title in 2022 and 2023, and was overall champion in 2020. He is the fiance of American slalom great Mikaela Shiffrin.

The men's World Cup circuit begins on October 25 in Soelden, Austria, with the giant slalom.

-Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters