The Australian Olympic Committee released a statement local time this morning revealing Laura Peel’s knee injury.
Triple Olympic aerial skier Laura Peel has sustained a knee injury during a Pre Games training camp in Airolo, Switzerland.
Peel sustained the injury yesterday, upon which she was transferred to Zug in Switzerland for an MRI at a sports specialist clinic.
She has returned to the training camp in Airolo Switzerland where she’ll be treated by the team physio to determine next steps
The two-time world champion won World Cup gold in Canada last month and believes she’s nearing her best form.
“I gained a lot of confidence from the good results but I think ultimately leading into the Games I was looking for more of a feeling – I wanted to be feeling confident and consistent, I wanted to be at the top of the hill knowing when I turn my skis that I’m able to execute the jump that I want to do,” the 36-year-old team veteran told AAP earlier this w.eek
“I am feeling really close to that and I’m feeling ready. I’m in a good place mentally.”
In 2022 Peel could only watch in envy as China’s Xu Mengtao became Olympic champion, landing a jump that the Australian had conquered many times while Peel had to settle for fifth after failing to stick her landing.
In the month leading into those Games she scored a career-high 118 points for a near-perfect back full-full-full – the same jump as Xu but in freezing conditions at Zhangjiakou she could only manage a score of 78.56.
“I went into Beijing as one of the favourites and was really hoping to finish on the podium and I didn’t, so I think that was more difficult than previous Games for sure,” said Peel, the team flag bearer at the opening ceremony in 2022.
“It took a while to become okay with that but I think about Beijing, I can talk about Beijing and it doesn’t affect me so much now.
“I think I’ve improved a lot since then – my degree of difficulty is similar but I’m a lot more consistent and I think my jumps are a lot better.
“Good or bad it’s part of the story and that is what it is so again I’m just going to embrace the experience from that time and move forward.”
This is a developing story, more to come on Peel’s injury status.
