Olympics: Norwegian snowboarder in hospital after crash
Horgmo's accident follows a stream of criticism from competitors that the course is too dangerous.
SOCHI, Russia (AFP) - Norwegian slopestyle snowboarder Torstein Horgmo, one of the Olympic Games gold medal favourites, was taken to hospital after crashing in training on Monday.
The 23-year-old crashed on the rail feature of the slopestyle course at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, Norway s team manager Thomas Harstad confirmed.
Horgmo s accident follows a stream of criticism from competitors that the course is too dangerous.
"I saw that he fell over the rail and trashed pretty hard. He tried a really hard trick (switch hardway backside 270) -- probably the hardest trick you ll see all day. He was transferring from one jump to another rail," said Norwegian teammate Staale Sandbech who witnessed the crash.
Sandbech said he could not give an opinion on Horgmo s condition.
"I have no idea. You never know when you crash. A crash can look bad and you re fine or the opposite but he s a tough Viking," he said.
"Hopefully he can bounce back."
Horgmo is ranked third on the World Snowboard Tour for this season.
Slopestyle, making its debut at Sochi, is a spectacular high-speed snowboard discipline.
Competitors perform on a slope featuring various forms of obstacles -- rails, quarterpipes, and jumps.
Horgmo is credited with landing the first "frontside triple cork" on such a course.
