LIVIGNO, Italy — Canada’s three-time Olympic bronze medalist snowboarder Mark McMorris crashed Wednesday night during big air training for the Milan Cortina Games and had to be carried off the course on a stretcher.
McMorris, 32, making his fourth appearance at the Olympics, was preparing for Thursday night’s qualifying, scheduled about 24 hours before the opening ceremony.
There was no immediate official word on McMorris’ condition other than a statement from the Canadian National Snowboarding Team, which said he was being cared for after a “heavy” accident.
In big air, riders perform four, five or more spins after descending a ramp built on scaffolding more than 50 meters (165 ft) high at Livigno.
McMorris won all of his Olympic medals and eight of his 12 X Games titles in slopestyle; The other four X gold medals came in large numbers, which were added to the Olympic program in 2018.
In 2017 he suffered life-threatening injuries after hitting a tree during a backcountry ride. This resulted in a rod in one of his legs, a plate in one of his arms, a plate stuck in his jaw and many other injuries that he suffered over the years.
