Olympian Daron Rahlves Reinjures Hip
Top Super-G Racer Returns to States
Tuesday, August 25, 1998
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Daron Rahlves
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Olympian Daron Rahlves, the
US Ski Team's top super-G racer, injured his right hip Monday while training on a Norwegian glacier,
the US Ski Team reported today. It is not yet known how the injury will
impact his training.
Rahlves, 26, who was examined at a Lillehammer hospital, dislocated the same hip two years ago in New Zealand and early reports indicate this injury is not as serious.
"Because this happened before, Daron said he knew what was going on and
this seemed much easier," men's coach Martin Andersen said from Lom.
"He said it wasn't even close to the same pain he had two
years ago. He said he was moving around and things looked good."
Emerging last year as a contending downhiller, Rahlves went down Monday on the Juvass Glacier near Lom, about 120
miles northwest of Lillehammer. He was helicoptered to the hospital with
Dr. Mel Boynton, Ski Team physician, who was attending the training camp. Released the same day, Rahlves was to fly home Wednesday for an additional medical
checkup.
The son of a former world jetski distance jumping champion, Rahlves was
the 1993 world jetski champion in the expert class before deciding to
focus full time on his ski racing.
Rahlves injury to the hip two years ago was the result of a fluke accident
during preseason training when his ski became stuck in soft snow. In the spring of 1997, a piece of Rahlves's hip bone was used to stabilize
a chronic problem with his left shoulder.
A two-time US giant slalom champion, Rahlves, of Truckee, California, had one of his best seasons last year. He finished in a tie for 11th place in World Cup super-G points, scored his first
downhill points and competed in his first Olympics.
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