Gagnon injured in training for Cup downhill

LAKE LOUISE, Alta. — The final training run for the seasonopening women’s World Cup downhill was hard on the Canadian ski team.

Marie-Michele Gagnon dislocated her left shoulder in a crash Thursday.

She was just four hundredths of a second back of the fastest time of the day coming into the final turn, where Gagnon fell and flew into the safety netting within sight of the finish line.

She was removed from the mountain on a rescue sled. Gagnon was able to pop her shoulder back into place, according to the team doctor.

The 28-year-old from LacEtchemin, Que., is a regular podium contender in slalom and owns a pair of World Cup bronze medals.

Gagnon is intent on improving her downhill this winter in order to increase her medal chances in the super combined event at the Winter Olympics in February.

The best results of her 10-year career on the national team have been a pair of World Cup gold medals in combined. Gagnon was sixth at this year’s world championship.

Gagnon was going to race World Cup downhills today and Saturday in Lake Louise, Alta., for the first time in her career, as well as Sunday’s super-G.

But Canadian team coach Manuel Gamper said early indications were it was “not very likely” Gagnon will race in Lake Louise.

Gagnon was almost seventenths of a second faster than the entire field at the third interval Thursday and was “charging like crazy,” Gamper said.

Gagnon has a history with her left shoulder. She dislocated it in a fall racing the combined at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Gagnon competed in three more races there and placed ninth in slalom.

She had surgery on her shoulder in 2015.

Ester Ledecka of the Czech Republic posted the fastest training time Thursday in one minute 48.14 seconds. Lindsey Vonn of the U.S. was second in 1:48.29 and Tina Weirather of Liechtenstein finished third in 1:48.68.