Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris crashes, stretchered off
LIVIGNO, Italy — Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, a three-time Olympic bronze medalist, crashed Wednesday night during big air training ahead of the Milan Cortina Games and had to be taken off the course on a stretcher.
McMorris, 32, making his fourth Olympic appearance, was preparing for Thursday night’s qualifying, scheduled for about 24 hours before the opening ceremony.
There was no immediate official word on McMorris’ condition.
In big air, riders perform four, five or more pirouettes after taking off from a ramp which, in Livigno, is more than 50 meters (165 feet) high and built on scaffolding.
McMorris won all of his Olympic medals and eight of his 12 X Games titles in Slopestyle; the other four X gold medals came from big air, which was added to the Olympic program in 2018.
He suffered life-threatening injuries after hitting a tree while hiking in the backcountry in 2017. He had a rod placed in one leg, a plate in one arm and another in the jaw as a result of this and numerous other injuries he suffered over the years.
