5.30pm
Alinghi's French bowman Bernard Labro will miss the America's Cup after sustaining a broken collarbone in a traffic accident in Auckland.
The injury means he won't be on board Swiss syndicate Alinghi's boat SUI 64 for the first race in the best-of-nine contest against Team New Zealand in Auckland on Saturday.
The
Alinghi bowman was driving a motor scooter yesterday afternoon when, trying to avoid colliding with a turning bus, he was forced to brake hard then jump off the scooter. He hit the pavement, breaking his left collarbone.
Doctors expect it will take six weeks for the bone to mend completely.
"A broken clavicle (collarbone) is not a very major injury, but it is disappointing to be injured right before the America's Cup, but there is nothing I can do," Labro said.
Last week Alinghi announced that key grinder Christian Karcher will not participate in Saturday's race.
The Frenchman has been troubled with a hip injury and has been forced to withdraw his services. Karcher fell during training in very heavy weather in November and landed on one of the winch pedestals, which aggravated a fissure in his hip socket.
nzherald.co.nz/americascup
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