US Skier Friedman breaks leg

AP, Jan 5th, 2005

The 24-year-old Friedman underwent surgery late Wednesday afternoon to fix the tibia and fibula of his lower right leg, U.S. men's head speed coach John McBride said. Friedman also broke two bones in his left hand.

Friedman will likely be out for the rest of the season, McBride said.

Friedman, the 29th skier out of the start hut, lost control off a small bump on the upper section of the course, landing awkwardly and careening into the safety netting.

The training session was interrupted for nearly half an hour as medics tended to Friedman. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Sallonges.

"He crashed right next to where I was standing," McBride said. "He'd cut up his face a bit but he was conscious. There was no head injury. He was in a fair amount of pain. It's a real beating for us sure."

The accident occurred during the first training session for Saturday's World Cup downhill race.

Friedman finished 10th in a downhill on the same Verte des Houches course last year. It was the first top-10 result of his career.

Friedman finished seventh in a downhill in Beaver Creek, Colo., in early December.