Harvey Shows Improvement, Won’t Race in Sochi

Topher Sabot · February 1, 2013

Less than two days after crashing during training and injuring his shoulder, Alex Harvey is feeling better, but will not adjust plans to skip the remaining Sochi World Cup races.

Harvey skied on Friday morning, writing to FasterSkier in an email that he had no pain in the shoulder when swinging his arms. On an afternoon run the experience was the same — no pain.

“The mobility is pretty much 100% back now,” Harvey wrote. “[I] did some strength tests with our therapist here and that is back too.”

Harvey was initially examined by a U.S. Ski Team doctor and then went to a Russian hospital. His mother is a sports physician, and has been reviewing MRI images back in Canada, also consulting with an orthopedic surgeon.

The shoulder was dislocated while Harvey was testing skis, going down when he stepped out of the classic track and catching in some fresh snow.

According to Harvey the American doctor who initially examined him was concerned there was a fracture.

“Right after the crash it wasn’t that bad,” Harvey said. “But as I cooled off it got pretty painful, just walking around was killing me. I couldn’t really move my arm without pain.”

At the hospital the diagnosis changed to a muscle tear, but Harvey’s mother and the orthopedic surgeon in Canada have concluded the injury is a bone bruise in the shoulder joint.

“I think my shoulder is good now for intensity but the risk of crashing in both the mass start and the team-sprint are too great for me to take a chance,” Harvey said of the remaining Sochi races.

Canadian Head Coach Justin Wadsworth concurred.

“If he did crash it would be bad, and this course is prone to that,” Wadsworth write in an email.

Harvey is planning to race the following World Cups in Davos, Switzerland.

— Alex Matthews contributed reporting.