The Australian team flag bearer, Cameron Rahles-Rahbula, has suffered serious injuries in a fall during training on the slopes of the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort.
Australian Team doctor Geoff Thompson said that extensive tests and scans have found that Cameron has damaged his right knee, right ankle, and has bruising to his cheekbone and jaw.
`The fracture is at the top, on the inside of his shin bone just near the kneecap tendon,’’ Thompson said. “The fracture will heal – it’s just a matter of time and careful management.
Thompson explained that the two issues now are his participation in Friday night’s Opening Ceremony at the Fisht Paralympic Stadium, and then the five Alpine events he had entered on the Sochi Winter Paralympic program – Downhill, Super-G, Super Combined, Slalom, and Giant Slalom.
“I’m going to try to do everything in my power to be there,’’ Rahles-Rahbula said of carrying the Australian flag. “We’re going to try to come up with a plan to enable me to walk along. At the moment I’m getting along on crutches and a prosthetic leg.’’
Rahles-Rahbula has ruled himself out of the Downhill, which kicks off the Paralympic competition on Saturday. It is also highly unlikely he can compete in the two other `speed events’, the Super-G and Super Combined.
“The Downhill is definitely out of the question at the moment, because I’m not weight-bearing yet (on right leg). We’ll see how it feels in a week and then see what’s going on,’’ Rahles-Rahbula said.