Russia ski cross racer Maria Komissarova crashed during practice on the course and fractured the 12th dorsal vertebrae and dislocated her spine. Doctors performed a successful 6 ½ hour surgery at a hospital near the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park.
“Maria Komissarova received a serious injury today during training. She was urgently taken to hospital,” the Russian federation said in a statement.
“Doctors carried out the necessary examination and took the decision to operate on her on the spot.”
Ski cross is a very risky event. This one is on a 1200m course with nine banked runs and 25 jumps. Komissarova fell on the third jump. The injury was so severe the doctors did not want to risk taking her down the mountain and chose the hospital at the top.
“Slopestyle is a sport with a certain risk, you will never be able to exclude any kind of risk,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said.
He added: “We feel very sorry for the athlete. We are in contact with the hospital. What we know is that she is under surgery right now. We hope that the operation will be successful and that she will be back.”
We wish Komissarova a speedy recovery.
(Photo via Getty Images)