According to a media release by his federation, Swiss snowboarder Lucien Koch won't be able to compete this winter.

The 20-year-old slopestyle specialist is still fighting consequences of an injury he had come by during a training run in Laax, Switzerland last December.

The St. Gallen native fractured his bone right at the patella tendon of his right leg and was supposed to be out of competition just for a short time. But a redecnt MRI checkup showed that the healing process takes longer than expected.

As a result, Koch won't be able to compete this winter any more and therefore will miss the last events of the season, including the slopestyle World Cup finals in Spindleruv Mlyn, Czech Republic where he had triumphed last season.

“Of course it's disappointing to miss all those competitions. But now my focus is on the coming season, and I'm highly motivated to come back stronger,” he said.

Source: fis-ski.com