I think it’s fair to say this Olympian’s dreams of gold didn’t come true.
Breaking a leg or an arm is one thing, but your neck is an entirely different matter.
Thank heavens Austrian snowboarder Markus Schairer survived and it looks like he will heal up fine, reports USA Today:
An Austrian snowboarder broke his neck in a crash Thursday, but doctors have ruled out serious permanent damage, the Austrian Olympic committee said in a statement.
Markus Schairer fractured his fifth cervical vertebra during a quarterfinal race in snowboard cross at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, sailing through the air and landing gruesomely on his upper back and neck on the course’s final jump. The impact caused the 30-year-old’s goggles to pop off and left him lying on the ground while his competitors crossed the finish line.
Here’s a video showing the moment it happened:
Böser Sturz von Markus #Schairer im #Snowboard Boardercross. Halswirbelbruch, aber Ärzte befürchten keine Folgeschäden #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/iaptkStpYW
— Lukas Zahrer (@ZaraLuk) February 15, 2018
Eina.
Doesn’t look as bad at that time the gymnast snapped his leg in Rio, though.
[source:usatoday]
