Australian Olympian airlifted to hospital after high-speed crash

Less than a year out from the Winter Olympics, an Australian snowboarder has suffered a serious injury in a high-speed crash.

Australian winter Olympian Belle Brockhoff is in “good spirits” after being flown to hospital in Greece with a serious back injury following a high-speed crash during a race at the Snowboard Cross World Cup in Georgia.

Brockhoff, a triple winter Olympian, was first flown to a hospital in Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, before being evacuated to Greece, where she required surgery after suffering a fracture of the L1 vertebrae in the crash.

Watch the horror high-speed crash in the video player above

Australian snowboarder Belle Brockhoff crashed during a race in Georgia

The 32-year-old Victorian, who had only just returned to competition after recovering from a broken wrist, landed on her coccyx and suffered no neurological damage, the accident coming less than a year out from the next Winter Olympics in Italy.

A member of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia medical team is accompanying and supporting Brockhoff, with her partner also flying to Greece to be with her.

“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 chief executive Geoff Lipshut said.

“We will reassess options together with Belle following surgery over the next 48 hours.

“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.”

Australian winter Olympian Belle Brockhoff (right) is in “good spirits” after being flown to hospital. Picture: Instagram

Following the surgery, Brockhoff is expected to remain in Athens to rehabilitate for up to two weeks before returning to Australia to continue preparations for the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Brockhoff is one of Australia’s most accomplished cross snowboarders and is considered a strong chance of making the national team for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina.

She won a gold medal in the mixed team event at the 2021 world championships and just missed out on an individual medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing when she finished fourth.

At the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, Brockhoff was back on the slopes two weeks after undergoing surgery, competing without an anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. Remarkably she finished 11th.

In November last year, she broke her wrist in a freak accident.

Originally published as Australian Olympian airlifted to hospital after high-speed crash