World GS silver medalist Leitinger injured, misses Olympics

Published Jan. 11, 2018 1:04 p.m. ET

INNSBRUCK, Austria (AP) Austrian skier Roland Leitinger will miss the Pyeongchang Olympics next month after injuring his right knee during free skiing on Thursday.

The Austrian ski federation says Leitinger, who won silver in giant slalom at the world championships last year, will undergo surgery later Thursday after tearing his ACL in a crash at the Reiteralm.

Leitinger says ''there is never a good moment for an injury but this is incredibly bitter.''

The 26-year-old Leitinger was the surprise runner-up to fellow Austrian Marcel Hirscher in the GS at the worlds in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in February but had yet to land a top-10 result on the World Cup this season.