Nina O'Brien undergoes successful surgery after scary crash
The American sustained a 'compound fracture' of her leg following a nasty fall at the end of her second run in the women's giant slalom on Monday.
Alpine Skiing
Nina O'Brien underwent successful surgery to stabilise a 'compound fracture of her left fibula and fibula', U.S. Ski & Snowboard said in a statement on Tuesday (8 February).
The American skier suffered a nasty crash near the finish line in the second run of the Beijing 2022 giant slalom on Monday (7 February).
After a "successfully performed procedure" in the Yanqing hospital, O'Brien "will return to the U.S. for further evaluation and care", the statement added.
"💔 Well, I gave everything I had, and maybe too much," posted the 24-year-old on her Instagram account.
"I’m a little heartbroken, but also feeling so much love. Thank you to everyone who’s reached out."
O'Brien lay in sixth place after the first run, 1.25 seconds behind Swedish leader Sara Hector.
In her second descent she collided with the penultimate gate and crashed over the finish line. The American was then treated by medics and carried off the track on a stretcher.
After O'Brien's crash, the event was temporarily halted with Hector holding on to her advantage to take gold.
On Monday, many of her teammates shared their support on social media, including Mikaela Shiffrin.
"We're so heartbroken," wrote Shiffrin on her social platforms. Today was one of the most turbulent days I have ever experienced."
"This sport… this sport is so damn hard. It’s brutal, and it hurts far more often than it ever feels good," Shiffrin wrote in her post.
The two-time alpine skiing gold medallist failed to defend her GS title after a mistake near the top of her first run: the 26-year-old missed a gate and didn't complete the tricky, steep course 'Ice River' on the slopes of the Yanqing mountains, north of Beijing.
There are five more medals on offer for Shiffrin with the next in the slalom on Wednesday (9 February).
If she wins a title at Beijing 2022, she will have more Olympic gold medals than any other American alpine skier.
She became the youngest Winter Olympic slalom gold medallist at Sochi 2014, and won gold and silver at PyeongChang 2018.
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