THE CANADIAN PRESS
ASPEN, Colo. — John Kucera has suffered an injury setback.
The Calgary skier re-injured his left tibia Wednesday in a crash while forerunning in Colorado.
The 2009 world downhill champion hurt the same leg he originally fractured in November 2009 after a crash at Lake Louise, Alta.
Kucera, 26, is set to return to Calgary where the injury will be assessed by doctors. It’s not known if he’ll require surgery.
"I’m kind of shocked," said Kucera, who was skiing ahead of the men’s U.S nationals downhill race in Aspen. "It’s a bad luck situation — my ski just popped off.
"The injury is not nearly as severe as last time. I’m going to stay focused on coming back as soon as I can."
Kucera has spent the past few weeks training and forerunning in preparation for a return to World Cup competition.
Dr. Stephen French, Alpine Canada medical co-director, said it’s too early to say when Kucera will be able to return to racing.
"It’s a setback for his return to competition," he said. "He’s returning to Canada to determine if further surgery will be required."
It has been a tough year for the Canadian team, with Louis-Pierre Helie, Manuel Osborne-Paradis and Ryan Semple all having been injured while Robbie Dixon hasn’t returned from a mild concussion.