Injured Hirscher doubtful for season start

VIENNA, Austria: Austrian ski star Marcel Hirscher is doubtful for the start of the season after fracturing his ankle in an accident on Thursday, the Austrian ski federation said.

The record six-times World Cup champion will have his ankle in plaster for at least six weeks after the crash on his first day of training.“It’s impossible to say if he will make the start of the (World) Cup” on October 29, in Soelden, Austria, OeSV spokesman Stefan Illek told AFP.

Hirscher was airlifted to hospital after his tumble — which comes six months before the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea — on the Moelltaler glacier.No operation was necessary, however.The 28-year-old posted a photo on social media with his lower left leg in plaster, lying with crutches in his hands in what appears to be inflatable pink flamingo. —AFP