Alpine skiing: Meillard ruled out after suffering knee injury

[February 08, 2018]  PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) - Swiss Alpine skier Melanie Meillard has been ruled out of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics after she crashed in training and suffered a knee injury on Thursday.

The Swiss skiing federation said in a statement that the 19-year had suffered a "complex" injury in her left knee, including a tear of her anterior cruciate ligament and her meniscus.

Meillard, who had been due to compete in the slalom and giant slalom, would be flown home and would be sidelined for the rest of the season, Swiss Ski added.

She finished third at the city event in Norway last month, the first podium of her World Cup career.

(Writing by Brian Homewood in Zurich; Editing by Toby Davis)

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.

Melanie Meillard of Switzerland in action. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini