American skier Tommy Ford suffered head and neck injuries, labeled minor, and a knee injury and was airlifted to a hospital after crashing in a World Cup giant slalom in Adelboden, Switzerland, on Saturday.
Ford fell through a gate, his helmet smacking the ground, and tumbled for three seconds toward netting at the bottom of the course in the first of two runs.
Ford talked to emergency responders when loaded into a helicopter, according to U.S. Ski and Snowboard.
“Head and neck injuries are minor and resolving nicely,” according to the organization. “He has a knee injury that is undergoing further evaluation.”
Ford, 31 and a two-time Olympian, is the top U.S. male GS skier. He won a World Cup GS at Beaver Creek, Colo., in December 2019 and made two more podiums in 2020.
Frenchman Alexis Pinturault won the race for the second straight day in Adelboden, matching Bode Miller at 33 World Cup wins for ninth on the men’s all-time list.
Pinturault, the World Cup overall standings leader, goes into next month’s world championships having won the last three World Cup giant slaloms.
The men race a slalom in Adelboden on Sunday. Full TV and live stream information is here.
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