Rachel Atherton Dislocates her Shoulder in Practice Run Crash

Aug 3, 2023
by Ed Spratt  
photo

Rachel Atherton has dislocated her shoulder after crashing during a practice run at the Fort William downhill World Championships.

After spotting Rachel with what looked like an injury walking through the pits at the Fort William World Champs we reached out to the Atherton team who sadly confirmed that she has a shoulder injury. We were told it was too sore to ride with today but the plan is to see how things are in the morning. Now, Rachel has confirmed that she dislocated her shoulder on her first run this morning. We are gutted for her and wish her a speedy recovery!


bigquotesI didn’t even crash, I just felt the pain & rolled the next jump thinking OH MY GOD my shoulder, then jumped off my bike swearing & trying to get it back in, my fingers went into the socket so I knew it was out.

Gutted doesn’t come close. So Devastated. So Pissed off. It’s too painful to really consider trying to ride but maybe there will be a miracle overnight ‍ @gee_atherton thinks I’ll be fine!!!!—Rachel Atherton



Posted In:
Racing and Events DH Racing Injuries Fort William World Championships 2023 World Championships World Championships 2023


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56 Comments
  • 83 3
 Nooooooo! This is not how this story played out in my mind!
  • 21 2
 Till she wins.
  • 5 2
 @yakimonti: it’ll just be a better victory story
  • 2 0
 No way!!! Hope she heals up ready for Saturday.
  • 20 1
 @yakimonti: With a broken chain out of the gate, an injured shoulder, and a toddler in tow, Rachel Atherton somehow pulls out the win at Fort Bill. It's gonna happen!!
  • 7 20
flag Madfella (Aug 3, 2023 at 11:23) (Below Threshold)
 I'm afraid no one can beat Valentina Holl
  • 9 1
 The problem is that next morning things get typically much worse. And a shoulder will definitely not get better in one day.
  • 59 0
 Rach: I think I popped my shoulder. Should I still race?
Gee: Can you breathe?
Rach: Yes.
Gee: Get back on the bike.
  • 36 3
 Ends up racing and winning by 4.3 seconds.
  • 17 4
 Rachel , you dont have to prove anything Enjoy life with your kids
  • 1 0
 @RedBurn: yaaaa, for sure. Move on to that next chapter.
  • 19 3
 Tbf she could still win just using one arm
  • 1 0
 No doubt and I am rooting for her. I just want to test that theory.
  • 13 1
 Rachel didn't actually crash, her shoulder came out on landing a jump hard, she stayed on the bike then stopped on track.
  • 4 1
 Yeah watched it happen. The landing was a huge one!
  • 1 0
 Thats such a bummmer for her... I've had that hard landing/shoulder dislocation before, and it hurts! I hope she can ice it, tape it, and send it for the win on race day!
  • 3 0
 She's a machine
  • 3 0
 I've dislocated mine twice riding without actually falling off.....the second time fractured the socket on the way out. It suuuuucks.
  • 2 0
 Add me to the list of people who dislocated their shoulder without crashing. July 1 2023, second practice lap prior to a DH race at Brianhead. For those who know Brianhead, I was going through the crux section of the "Waterfall" at speed. Exactly on the line I wanted to be on, hammering through the chunder, and "pop!" Stayed upright, stopped, and knew I was f-ed when I tried to lay the bike down. MRI showed a bad SLAP tear, Hill Sachs lesion, and some other damage. Season over.
  • 1 0
 @dd9433: just did mine too. You gonna do surgery or see how PT goes?
  • 1 0
 @dd9433: @dd9433: I once dislocated mine while swimming under water. Almost drowned from the pain...
  • 6 1
 Every action move ever has thought me that all she has to do is slam it against a tree to reset it. She’ll win after resetting it on the starting gate.
  • 4 1
 The shoulder is a precarious joint - in exchange for range of motion we lose stability. I'm sure bright minds will come up with safety gear that does a better job, but I think we need something for shoulders and collarbones.
  • 4 0
 We need a brace that diverts impact away from the shoulder and collarbones and into the neck. If you then wear that with a neck brace you are basically immortal.
  • 4 0
 @L0rdTom: I'm imagining the top of your head popping off like a bottle. The pressure has to go somewhere right? That or instant hemorrhoids
  • 2 0
 @Mayzei: haha channeling all impact forces straight down to the buttcheeks. Then people start installing special elastomer ass implants to fine-tune the damping properties
  • 6 2
 Damn shoulder injuries suck. Let s hope Nottingham is dislocated or broken
  • 35 0
 Yeah, I hate Nottingham too.
  • 13 0
 @BenPea: all my homies hate nottingham
  • 2 1
 @BenPea: Yeah, it's grim up North....
  • 17 0
 they have the worst sheriff.
  • 5 0
 @korev: East Midlands, dude. But also, yes.

@mattg95: I wish I'd never heard of the place or the ex-wife it spawned.
  • 6 0
 Forest, ice, compression, elevation.
  • 2 0
 You mean Fort William lol
  • 1 0
 @BenPea: nah, anything north of Winchester is the North!
  • 1 0
 @Coops1980: Plymouth more like...
  • 2 0
 When I saw they made doubles out of tables on the motor way I knew this will be trouble for some of the riders. We‘ll see a lot of ppl case and crash tomorrow.
  • 1 0
 Shoulders can pop out easily once they've been dislocated. After MotoGP rider Marc Marquez dislocated his, it used to happen when he shook hands with somebody. He had to get it stabilized with an operation
  • 1 1
 Hopefully she feels better quick and can race this weekend. Fingers crossed!
  • 3 2
 looks like its a dislocation , bummer
  • 3 2
 It's a bluff, mind fuck the other riders, then smash it tomorrow
  • 2 2
 The last couple years it seems Vali has been benefiting from her main competitors crashing and injuring during practice.
  • 1 1
 Fort bill taking no prisoners! looking like no Rachel and no Nina :/
  • 1 2
 She's not racing. It's dislocated. Soooo bummed about this and hope she heals up soon.
  • 1 1
 What happened to Ninas head?
  • 5 0
 Discombobulated.
  • 1 0
 @watchmen: props and kudos for the cool word Big Grin
  • 1 1
 OH MY GAWD THATS RACHAEL ATHERTONS MUSIC!!! If you know, you know.
  • 1 0
 She didnt crash.
  • 1 2
 Noooo
  • 1 2
 Easy mama!
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