That conclusion was reached at a press conference at the Norwegian athletes’ hotel on Thursday afternoon, three and a half hours after he was injured during the final training session.

– Turns out there was a small break at the very bottom, almost under the wrist, but very small, and about to start. “There’s a bit of pain, but we’re going to film a little bit and make sure that I have some stability, then we’ll take it from there,” Kilde told NTB and other Norwegian media in Kitzbühel.

He tells how the wound happened.

– After Mausfalle, I enter the carousel and lean on my hands, then I make a hole. It stings a little on hands. When I got to the finish line I noticed that it was pounding a bit, so we did some investigating, he said.

Wounded

In the end, it became clear that he was in pain. Kilde recorded the 17th fastest time in practice.

He immediately bandaged his injured right hand. The speed king then walked through the media zone non-stop for interviews, but managed to say he was in pain and his injury should be checked.

There, a small fracture was detected at the base of the middle finger.

– I am lucky. It was not as dangerous as I feared, Kilde told NTB.

– It’s not so bad that it goes beyond the plans we’ve laid out. I have to try to keep my hands on the snow and carry it all the way to the end, he added.

The injury occurred a few weeks before the WC in France. There, the good bets have a lot more to say than on the steep start at Kitzbühel. Kilde still benefits from medaling at the world championships.

Kilde have had an adventurous season so far. Four of six downhill races and two of four in super-G have ended with alpinist Lommedalen winning. Last weekend he was the best in both disciplines in Wengen, Switzerland.

Adrenaline

The competition in Kitzbühel is seen as the crown jewel of the declining calendar. The Streif trail is legendary and the toughest in the world at 3,312 meters.

The first race was held on Friday, while the second race took place the following day. Kilde believes he will be able to perform despite the injury.

– With adrenaline and a little painkiller, I think we’ll get to the right place, he said.