Richard Freitag will be sidelined for weeks due
to an ankle injury and so he will miss the first
competitions of the upcoming World Cup season.
The 22-year-old German already felt pain in his
left foot for a few weeks and so an MRI was now
made were a fatigue fracture of the fourth metatarsal
bone in his left ankle was diagnosed.
According to team doctor Mark Dorfmueller surgery
is not necessary, the injury shall be treated with
a few weeks of immobilization. "If the healing
process goes well, Richard will be able to train
again in six to eight weeks", Dr. Dorfmueller
said in a media release of the German Ski Association.
Olympics as priority
This means that Richard Freitag can't participate
in the opening events of the World Cup in front
of his home crowd late November. "Of course
I would've wanted to compete in the opener in Klingenthal,
but the healing process takes time. The qualification
for the Olympic Games is my top priority and so
I want the injury to heal completely before I start
competing again."
Despite the bad news, head coach Werner Schuster
is optimistic that Freitag will be part of his team
again right on time for the first major highlight
of the winter. "The absence of Richard Freitag
hurts our team, but for him it's imporant to be
patient and let the injury heal completely. Richard
receives very good treatment by our medical staff
and if the prognosis of the doctors will be confirmed,
he will be back for the 4-Hills-Tournament. Until
then Richard has to focus on his recovery."
