Austrian ski jumper Manuel Poppinger has suffered a serious knee injury ©Getty Images

Austrian ski jumper Manuel Poppinger has suffered a serious knee injury at a training camp in Planica in Slovenia.

The former World Championship silver medallist has torn the ACL in his left knee and has had to go to hospital to undergo surgery.

There will now be a race against time to see if Poppinger will be fit for the start of the International Ski Federation (FIS) World Cup season, which will begin in Kuusamo/Ruka in Finland on November 25.

A statement from Klaus Ullmann, the Austrian team's physiotherapist, said that the injury happened on landing.

"Manuel approached the landing normally, but as soon as he landed, the knee gave out and he fell," he said.

Manuel Poppinger boasts a World Championship team silver medal in his collection ©Getty Images
Manuel Poppinger boasts a World Championship team silver medal in his collection ©Getty Images

"We will now start the rehabilitation and therapy as soon as possible and hope for a positive and fast recovery process."

Twenty-six-year-old Poppinger won a team silver medal at the FIS World Championships in Falun in Sweden in 2015, as part of Austria's large hill squad.

"The surgery went well and there were no complications," said Dr. Christian Hoser, who performed the operation. 

"The ACL and the meniscus were treated surgically. 

"Manuel Poppinger can probably leave the hospital again on Saturday." 

Poppinger also boasts a team bronze medal from the FIS Ski Flying World Championships, held on the Austrian hill at Bad Mitterndorf this year.