INNSBRUCK, Austria (AP) — Austrian skier Hans Grugger has ended his career, 15 months after sustaining life-threatening head injuries during a training crash on the World Cup downhill course in Kitzbuehel.
Grugger said on Tuesday he has given up on his attempted comeback as he still has not regained full control of his right leg.
Grugger underwent a five-hour emergency brain operation and was kept in an induced coma for 11 days after smashing his head on the icy slope on Jan. 20 last year. In May, he announced his plans to return to top-level ski racing and five months later, he resumed ski training.
The 30-year-old Grugger won four World Cup races in a career marred by injuries.
