Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris suffered a brutal crash while training for the Winter Olympics. The three-time bronze medalist will be out for the big air event, but says that things are “looking up” for the rest of the Games.
The 32-year-old three-time bronze medalist crashed while training Wednesday night. According to reports, McMorris lay motionless for about a minute as the medical team rushed to treat him, but was conscious while they placed him on a stretcher.
At first, it was unclear whether McMorris would be able to compete in the Games at all, with Canadian Olympic sports director Eric Myles telling press, “We’re not going to take a chance on the health of an athlete. It would be premature to take any decision right now.”
However, a day later, McMorris seems optimistic that he will be able to compete. “I took a fall last night,” he explained in an Instagram video. “I hit my head and I will not be able to compete in big air tonight, unfortunately. But, fortunately, things are looking up for slopestyle, so just trying to stay positive and shift my focus to that event.”
This is not McMorris’ first brush with a life-threatening accident, either. In 2017, he collided with a tree while backcountry snowboarding. He suffered a ruptured spleen, collapsed left lung lung, and fractured jaw, pelvis, arm and ribs. McMorris broke his femur in 2016 at the Air + Style event. He also pushed through a broken rib for a bronze in Sochi. McMorris is fresh off an X-Games gold last month in Aspen, so he definitely is riding momentum in Milan.
Australian snowboarder Val Guseli is set to replace McMorris in big air. The slopestyle event will take place on February 16 so McMorris does have time to recover.
