Mark McMorris was injured Wednesday when he crashed during training in Livigno, Italy.Lindsey Wasson/The Associated Press
Mark McMorris, the Canadian snowboarding veteran and three-time Olympic medalist, will miss the big air competition at the Milan Cortina Winter Games after he suffered a crash during training on Wednesday.
“I took a fall last night, I hit my head and I will not be able to compete in big air tonight unfortunately,” McMorris said in an Instagram post Thursday.
He said he remained hopeful that he would still compete in the slopestyle competition which begins Feb. 16.
McMorris took bronze in the slopestyle competition at the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Winter Games.
McMorris left the course on a stretcher Wednesday after completing a training jump and was taken to hospital.
“Things are looking up for slopestyle,” McMorris said in the post. “I’m trying to stay positive and shift my focus to that event.”
Brendan Matthews, Canada Snowboard’s vice-president of business development and partnerships, said McMorris landed the trick he was attempting but caught loose snow with his heel edge and had a “hard fall.”
“In our sport, we like to call it a ’snow snake’ that comes up and bites you out of nowhere,” Matthews said. “Just a little bit of loose snow that was on the slope. Nobody’s fault but unfortunately these things happen in an extreme sport like ours.”
McMorris has been released from hospital, a spokesman said Thursday.Lindsey Wasson/The Associated Press
In 2017, the 32-year-old McMorris suffered a catastrophic injury when he hit a tree during a backcountry ride.
That crash resulted in a broken right femur. He had a rod and four screws inserted in his leg and spent six months in recovery after surgery.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the start time for snowboard qualifying is 7 p.m. ET. It begins 1:30 pm ET on Thursday.