ZURICH (AP) — Marco Odermatt’s bid for a sixth straight overall World Cup skiing title isn’t getting off to a perfect start as the Swiss standout is sidelined with a minor muscle injury and set to miss a preseason training camp in Chile.
The Swiss team said Saturday that Odermatt “experienced pain during a physical training session this week” and that exams revealed a "minor muscle injury.”
"As a result, Odermatt will not travel to Chile next Monday as planned with the team,” the team said.
The team did not provide more details about Odermatt's injury.
“The priority now is treatment and rehabilitation,” the Swiss ski team added. “As soon as a return to on-snow training is possible, the rest of his season preparation will be re-assessed.”
Odermatt’s five overall World Cup titles place him level with Marc Girardelli in second place on the all-time list. Marcel Hirscher won a record eight overall titles.
The 28-year-old Odermatt also won three medals — two silvers and a bronze — at last season’s Milan Cortina Olympics, to go with his giant slalom gold four years earlier in Beijing.
As usual, the upcoming World Cup season opens in Sölden, Austria, in October.
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