US skier O'Brien has surgery after nasty Beijing Olympic crash
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American skier Nina O’Brien has undergone successful initial surgery after breaking her left leg
YANQING (AFP) - American skier Nina O’Brien has undergone successful initial surgery after breaking her left leg in multiple places during a nasty fall in the Beijing Olympics giant slalom, her team said Tuesday.
The US Ski & Snowboard Team said the 24-year-old "sustained a compound fracture of her left tibia and fibula" as she crashed near the finish line of Monday’s race.
"She was transported to the hospital in Yanqing where an initial stabilisation procedure was successfully performed by local doctors. She will return to the US for further evaluation and care," the team added.
O’Brien posted a photo of herself in a hospital bed on Instagram, saying: "Well, I gave everything I had, and maybe too much.
"I keep replaying it in my head, wishing I’d skied those last few gates differently. But here we are."
US skiing has rallied around their stricken team-mate, with two-time Olympic gold medallist Mikaela Shiffrin tweeting: "We are so heartbroken for Nina."
