Kitt Suffers Knee Injury, Could Be Out For Season

AJ Kitt, one of America’s top skiers, sustained a severe knee injury Friday in Val d’Isere, France, and probably will be lost to the U.S. ski team for the rest of the winter. Preliminary examinations indicate a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. He crashed during the downhill practice for the men’s World Cup race on the famed Oreiller-Killy course.

Martina Ertl, whose first opportunity in her specialty this season ended with an aborted race, held off two up-and-coming skiers to win a women’s World Cup giant slalom. The German, who led after the first run, logged a combined time of 1 minute, 54.44 seconds to win for the fifth time in her career and second time this season.

Downhill specialist Picabo Street of the United States finished in 1:56.55 and gained some unexpected World Cup points with a 24th-place finish.