Freestyle skiing star Sarah Burke is in a coma after a fall in the superpipe at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah on Tuesday (Jan. 10), according to reports.
The nature of the 29-year-old's condition wasn't immediately clear when news broke Tuesday that she had been seriously injured, but Canadian Freestyle Ski Association CEO Peter Judge began confirming to various media outlets late Tuesday that Burke was in a coma.
The four-time X Games gold medalist and 麻豆社国产resident fell while training and was airlifted to a Salt Lake City hospital.
What I've heard, relatively directly, is that she landed a trick down in the bottom end of the pipe, and kind of bounced, from her feet to her head, Judge told the Globe and Mail. It wasn't anything that looked like a catastrophic fall, so I'm a bit mystified.
Judge also told the Globe that husband Rory Bushfield, a fellow pro skier, and Burke's mother were able to travel to Salt Lake City to be at her side.
Beyond being an elite competitor, Burke is considered a pioneer and role model in her sport. In the campaign to make ski halfpipe an Olympic sport, Burke was one of the most vocal advocates. Since the announcement of the event's Olympic debut at the 2014 Sochi Games, Burke has been focused on preparing for those Olympics as a member of the newly formed national halfpipe team.
Originally from Midland, Ont., Burke is also active in coaching young skiers through Whistler's Momentum Ski Camps.
Burke's fall came in the same pipe where U.S. snowboarder Kevin Pearce sustained a serious brain injury in December 2009. Pearce, whose accident came just weeks before he was to contend for a medal at the 2010 Olympics, made a full recovery but took nearly two years to get back on a snowboard.
Check back with www.squamishchief.com for updates on this developing story.
