US skier Nina O’Brien saw her chances of medaling in the giant slalom end in frightening fashion.
O’Brien’s second run at the 2022 Olympics ended when she crashed near the finish line, to the horror of her competitors. O’Brien lost control after she clipped one of the final two gates, sending her skis and poles flying. It is feared she suffered a serious leg injury after her right leg bent awkwardly during the crash and she had to be stretchered off.
As O’Brien initially lay with her bottom half motionless, her competitors buried their heads in their hands out of shock and concern.
A spokesperson for the US ski team said O’Brien, 24, was “alert and responsive.”
“She is very tough and was calm,” the organization said. “She’s a fighter. She was worried about delaying the race. And also she wanted to know how fast she was skiing.”
O’Brien was considered the Americans’ second-best competitor in the giant slalom behind Mikaela Shiffrin, who skied off course and was disqualified from the event.
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O’Brien was in sixth place after her opening run and said the hill was “in perfect shape” between her two attempts, according to Yahoo. She was just one of dozens, though, who crashed during the event.
Swedish veteran Sara Hector eventually claimed gold in the event.