[Translate to Deutsch:] Munich (pps) Patric Leitner and Alexander Resch, the 2002 gold medal winners, suffered a setback in their preparation for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. 32-year old pilot Leitner underwent cervical spine surgery at the Munich hospital “Rechts der Isar” on June 22 when a degenerated disc was removed and an implant inserted.

Despite the surgery, his partner Alexander Resch is quite optimistic as far as the upcoming Olympic season is concerned. “Whenever one of us was injured during the summer, we had a great winter season”, brakeman Resch explained. The four-time World Champions intend to end their active career after the end of the next season.