Aaron Gwin breaks arm in Lenzerheide practice
Luke Meier-Smith also out after crash in Switzerland
Photo by:
Aaron Gwin / Instagram
Lenzerheide is the first World Cup downhill of 2023 and, after a very long off-season, is already causing drama. Aaron Gwin and Luke Meier-Smith are two high-profile riders that are starting their seasons with injuries.
Gwin had a very awkward crash in a rock garden during practice. An awkward ejection went wrong, resulting in a broken arm for the U.S. racer. Gwin says he “Tried to clear the big lose boulder outside of the tape with my upper body but my leg caught it and kinda slammed myself extra hard.”
The injury comes just as Gwin was starting to look like his old self, finishing off 2022 with several strong results. It also comes after a few injury-plagued seasons for the American.
Giant Factory Off-Road Team’s young phenom, Luke Meier-Smith is also out for the weekend. The Australian crashed in practice and sustained a broken collarbone and, likely, concussion. Meier-Smith was one of the riders set to debut Giant’s revived Glory downhill bike this weekend.
Elite men’s and women’s downhill semi-finals and finals both take place Saturday in Lenzerheide. Here’s our guide to how you can watch from home.
Here’s what Gwin had to say about the crash:
“Well this is definitely not the post I wanted to do after yesterday’s practice. Had a big crash and unfortunately broke my arm/elbow in a few spots. Surgery next week to get everything fixed up. Bummed would be an understatement but that’s how our sport goes sometimes. It was a weird crash, didn’t feel like I made a big mistake but margin for error in this section was so small. Would normally have a good chance to save something like this but with the drop coming up so quick I didn’t have the time. Tried to clear the big lose Boulder outside of the tape with my upper body but leg caught it and kinda slammed myself extra hard. Sometimes things all line up just right in the wrong way. Haha So much training and preparation went into this season. I really believed I put myself in a solid position to battle for wins and a title again. Felt better physically than I ever have and the new bike has been awesome. I always say, success is never owed just because you work hard but it does greatly improve your chances. Time to put the focus into this recovery. Thanks everyone for the messages. The racing this year is gonna be so good to watch. Stoked to support my Intense Factory Racing team from the sidelines, the boys have put in the work and I’m excited to watch them throw down. Keep you all posted on the progress, hoping to be back as soon as I’m strong and ready again.”
