The Austrian ski federation says defending overall World Cup champion Anna Fenninger has been hospitalised with an apparent left knee injury following a training crash, three days before the Alpine skiing season starts.
The federation says Fenninger fell during a giant slalom run and was taken by helicopter to a clinic in nearby Innsbruck for medical tests.
The 26-year-old Austrian, who won the overall title for the past two seasons and is the GS world champion, has been struggling with knee problems for years.
She missed weeks of training in the off-season after quitting a practice session last month as a precautionary measure.
The traditional season-opening GS on the Rettenbach glacier takes place on Saturday. Fenninger won the race last year, sharing victory with Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States.
