Photo: Cam Bolton // Instagram
Australian snowboarder Cam Bolton has broken his neck in training. The incident is the latest in a rash of injuries to befall Winter Games athletes.
The 35-year-old snowboard cross specialist crashed on Monday, but originally walked away from the incident without realizing the severity of his injuries, as ESPN reports. However, the following morning he woke up with worsening pain in his neck, which prompted a trip to the medic.
There, the Olympic Polyclinic identified two stable neck fractures, then airlifted Bolton to a Milan hospital for further imaging and assessment.
“Cam Bolton completed tests at a hospital in Milan and late last night moved to a hotel in Milan where he is now resting with the support of the Australian Olympic Team medical staff,” announced the team in a statement Wednesday. They added that Cam is in “stable condition and good spirits,” and that their medical team is working with local doctors and neuro specialists in Australia to determine next steps.
The incident was the latest in a number of injuries during the games, including three more on the Australian team alone. Among the injured was Lindsey Vonn, who not only endured an ACL tear before the games, but also broke her leg as a result of a dramatic collision with a gate 13 seconds into an Olympic race, thus ending her Olympic run.
