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Switzerland's Daniel Albrecht had been skiing in practice for the Kitzbuhel downhill when he misjudged the final jump and flew 40 meters through the air. SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images
He initially landed on his back, his skis breaking before slamming face down on the snowy surface just a few meters away from the finish line. SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images
The Swiss skier, a rising star of the sport, was knocked unconscious immediately and only briefly regained consciousness before being placed into a medically induced coma. SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images
Medical teams rushed to the aid of Albrecht, who suffered a brain trauma and a bruised lung in the incident in 2009. SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images
Moments before the accident, Albrecht, a five-time World Cup winner, had been traveling at some 140 km/h (87 mph). DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP/Getty Images
He had to be airlifted off the slopes to hospital where he was put in a medically induced coma for three weeks and initially did not know his name on coming round. SAMUEL KUBANI/AFP/Getty Images
On his return to action at Adelboden two years later, he sported a T-shirt under his racing gear with the words 'never give up' on it, a fitting testament to his unlikely return to the high-octane world of skiing. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images
He admitted to nerves returning to the start gate of World Cup skiing but the return was relatively shortlived as Albrecht was eventually forced to retire not from his injuries that day in Kitzbuhel but because of a knee injury sustained in 2012. Alain Grosclaude/Agence Zoom/Getty Images
