Daniel Albrecht

Daniel Albrecht (born 25 May 1983) is a retired World Cup alpine ski racer from Switzerland. He competed in all five alpine disciplines and was a world champion in super combined in 2007. Albrecht was severely injured in a downhill training run at Kitzbühel in 2009 at age 25.

Racing career Born in Fiesch in the canton of Valais, Albrecht made his World Cup debut at age 19 in January 2003 in a slalom at Schladming, Austria. A few weeks later, he competed in the slalom at the 2003 World Championships at St. Moritz. That March, he won three gold medals and a silver at the Junior World Championships at Serre Chevalier, France.

At the 2007 World Championships in Åre, Sweden, Albrecht won the gold medal in the super combined event, and took the silver medal in the giant slalom. A month later he made his first World Cup podium, a second-place finish in the downhill at Lenzerheide. Eight months later he won his first World Cup race, a super combined at Beaver Creek, Colorado, followed by a giant slalom victory three days later.

Albrecht has four World Cup victories, eight podiums, and 22 top ten finishes.

Hahnenkammrennen injury At Kitzbühel, Austria, on Thursday, 22 January 2009, Albrecht crashed in the final downhill training run on the Hahnenkamm's Streif course; he sustained brain and lung trauma and was placed in an induced coma. The fifth racer on the course, Albrecht was traveling at when he lost control on the final jump (Zielsprung) and flew through the air for about . He landed on his back, bounced forward onto his knees, then his face, and came to a stop near the finish line. Unconscious, Albrecht received medical attention for about 20 minutes before being airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in nearby St. Johann; he was later transferred to the university hospital in Innsbruck.

Recovery Albrecht expectedly missed the remainder of the 2009 season but had recovered sufficiently to train with the Swiss ski team in October, less than nine months after the crash. Still not ready for World Cup competition, he sat out the 2010 season, missing the Winter Olympics in Canada.

Albrecht returned to the World Cup circuit in the giant slalom at Beaver Creek in December 2010 and finished 21st. Albrecht raced his first speed event of his comeback in Switzerland at Wengen in January 2011, the downhill portion of the super combined on a shortened Lauberhorn course. He missed a gate just after the high-speed Hannegschuss, about fifteen seconds from the finish, and safely skied off of the course.

Knee injury During a training run for the Lake Louise downhill in November 2012, Albrecht crashed and suffered a dislocated left kneecap with torn ligaments, and underwent surgery in Switzerland. Less than a year later on 6 October 2013, he announced his retirement from racing.

World Cup results

Race podiums 4 wins – (3 GS, 1 SC) 8 podiums – (1 DH, 4 GS, 1 SL, 2 SC) Season Date Location Discipline Place 2007 2007 World Championships 14 Mar 2007 Lenzerheide, Switzerland Downhill 2nd 2008 29 Nov 2007 Beaver Creek, USA Super combined 1st 2 Dec 2007 Giant slalom 1st 5 Jan 2008 Adelboden, Switzerland Giant slalom 2nd 11 Jan 2008 Wengen, Switzerland Super combined 2nd 15 Mar 2008 Bormio, Italy Slalom 2nd 2009 26 Oct 2008 Sölden, Austria Giant slalom 1st 21 Dec 2008 Alta Badia, Italy Giant slalom 1st

Season standings Season Age Overall Slalom Giant slalom Super-G Downhill Combined 2005 21 53 34 43 — — 4 2006 22 50 26 30 — — 36 2007 23 27 22 20 31 30 18 2008 24 7 18 5 23 43 3 2009 25 20 55 7 23 22 18 2010 26 Did not compete, severely injured in January 2009 2011 27 140 — 42 — — — 2012 28 152 — 52 — — — 2013 29 Did not compete, injured left knee in November 2012

World Championship results Year Age Slalom Giant slalom Super-G Downhill Combined 2003 19 30 — — — — 2005 21 DNF1 30 — — 7 2007 23 DNF1 2 4 6 1

Year Age Slalom Giant slalom Super-G Downhill Combined 2006 22 DNF2 DNF1 — — 4

Videos YouTube video – Daniel Albrecht – training run crash at Kitzbühel – 22 Jan 2009 YouTube video – Daniel Albrecht – returns in GS at Alta Badia – 19 Dec 2010