Latest news with #OlympicWinterInstituteofAustralia
CNN
11-03-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Australian snowboarder Belle Brockhoff suffers broken back after high-speed crash
Three-time Winter Olympian Belle Brockhoff was rushed to a Georgian hospital with a broken back after a serious crash at a Snowboard Cross World Cup race on Saturday. The Australian had placed third in qualifiers and was competing in her last race of the day in Gudauri, Georgia, when the accident occurred. Brockhoff's board slipped beneath her midway through the course, sending her skidding over a jump at speed before she landed heavily on her tailbone. She appeared to be in discomfort while being tended to by race officials on the side of the slopes. 'Examination and imaging revealed a fracture of the L1 vertebrae, with no neurological damage,' a statement published on behalf of Brockhoff by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) confirmed. After initial evaluation at a Georgian hospital, the 32-year-old was evacuated to Greece for surgery, where she will likely remain for two weeks before flying home to Australia. 'I really appreciate all the messages of support, thank you to all. I am staying positive. I am in good hands,' Brockhoff said on an Instagram Story, adding the surgery will likely occur Wednesday or Thursday. Her partner flew to Greece to be by her side, according to the AOC. 'Currently our medical team are working with the medical emergency service personnel and the hospital in Greece to ensure that Belle receives the best care possible,' Olympic Winter Institute of Australia CEO Geoff Lipshut said. 'Belle is in good spirits, and I am very pleased that her partner has been able to fly to Greece to support her during this time.' The snowboarder – who became Australia's first woman to win a snowboard cross World Cup in the 2015-16 season – only recently returned to competition after fracturing her wrist late last year. Brockhoff previously tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a crash at the 2017 World Championships and competed at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games without an ACL.
CNN
11-03-2025
- Sport
- CNN
Australian snowboarder Belle Brockhoff suffers broken back after high-speed crash
Three-time Winter Olympian Belle Brockhoff was rushed to a Georgian hospital with a broken back after a serious crash at a Snowboard Cross World Cup race on Saturday. The Australian had placed third in qualifiers and was competing in her last race of the day in Gudauri, Georgia, when the accident occurred. Brockhoff's board slipped beneath her midway through the course, sending her skidding over a jump at speed before she landed heavily on her tailbone. She appeared to be in discomfort while being tended to by race officials on the side of the slopes. 'Examination and imaging revealed a fracture of the L1 vertebrae, with no neurological damage,' a statement published on behalf of Brockhoff by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) confirmed. After initial evaluation at a Georgian hospital, the 32-year-old was evacuated to Greece for surgery, where she will likely remain for two weeks before flying home to Australia. 'I really appreciate all the messages of support, thank you to all. I am staying positive. I am in good hands,' Brockhoff said on an Instagram Story, adding the surgery will likely occur Wednesday or Thursday. Her partner flew to Greece to be by her side, according to the AOC. 'Currently our medical team are working with the medical emergency service personnel and the hospital in Greece to ensure that Belle receives the best care possible,' Olympic Winter Institute of Australia CEO Geoff Lipshut said. 'Belle is in good spirits, and I am very pleased that her partner has been able to fly to Greece to support her during this time.' The snowboarder – who became Australia's first woman to win a snowboard cross World Cup in the 2015-16 season – only recently returned to competition after fracturing her wrist late last year. Brockhoff previously tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a crash at the 2017 World Championships and competed at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games without an ACL.
The Guardian
11-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Australian Winter Olympian Belle Brockhoff airlifted to hospital after horror crash
Belle Brockhoff is 'in good spirits' in a Greek hospital after a horror crash at a Snowboard Cross World Cup race in Georgia over the weekend left her with a serious back injury. The 32-year-old, who has represented Australia at three Winter Olympics, was airlifted off the slopes of Gudauri after tumbling at relatively high speed on her last race of the day and landing on her coccyx on Saturday. Brockhoff was taken to a hospital in Tbilisi where scans revealed a fracture of the L1 vertebrae, with no neurological damage. She was then evacuated to Greece to undergo surgery. A member of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia medical team has joined her in Greece, while her partner has also flown out to be with her. Olympic Winter Institute of Australia CEO Geoff Lipshut said: 'Currently our medical team are working with the medical emergency service personnel and the hospital in Greece to ensure that Belle receives the best care possible.' 'We will reassess options together with Belle following surgery over the next 48 hours,' Lipshut said. 'Belle is in good spirits, and I am very pleased that her partner has been able to fly to Greece to support her during this time.' Brockhoff had only recently returned to the World Cup circuit after undergoing two surgeries on a compound fracture in her arm last November. Gudauri was the seventh stop of the World Cup season, while the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina are less than 12 months away. Brockhoff made her Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi and has since represented Australia at PyeongChang 2018 and Beijing 2022. Sign up to Australia Sport Get a daily roundup of the latest sports news, features and comment from our Australian sports desk after newsletter promotion She finished fourth in the women's snowboard cross final at the last Olympics but was later hospitalised after crashing during the heats of the mixed snowboard cross team race in Beijing and received treatment for a sore neck. Brockhoff won the snowboard cross mixed teams world championship alongside Jarryd Hughes in 2021 and has 17 World Cup medals across her career.
