YANQING (AFP) - US skiing rallied around teammate Nina O'Brien after she was badly injured in a nasty fall in Monday's (Feb 7) Beijing Olympics giant slalom.
The US Ski & Snowboard Team said the 24-year-old was responsive and with medical staff after seriously injuring her left leg and being towed away on a stretcher.
"We are so heartbroken for Nina," tweeted two-time Olympic gold medallist Mikaela Shiffrin, who also failed to finish the giant slalom despite being one of the favourites to win it.
"She showed so much heart and fire in her skiing today and it all got shredded to pieces on the final turn.
"This sport... this sport is SO damn hard. It's brutal and it hurts - far more often than it ever feels good."
In the immediate aftermath, the US ski team said that O'Brien "crashed into the finish but she is alert and responsive".
American skiing great Lindsey Vonn, a three-time Olympic medallist, also tweeted her support for the stricken O'Brien.
"Prayers go out to Nina," the retired Vonn tweeted.
"Her crash was... difficult to watch to say the least."
