Australian Paralympic flag bearer Cameron Rahles-Rahbula injured in downhill skiing crash

AUSTRALIA’S Paralympic flag bearer Cameron Rahles-Rahbula has crashed at high speed and been taken for X-rays.

Cameron Rahles-Rahbula with one of his two bronze medals from the 2010 Vancouver Paralymp

AUSTRALIA’S winter Paralympic team has been hit by drama on the first day of practice in Sochi with flag bearer Cameron Rahles-Rahbula crashing at high speed.

The 30-year-old, who was yesterday named to carry the flag in Friday night’s opening ceremony, is now in some doubt for the Games after being carried from the mountain by medical staff.

His injuries are not yet known but it’s believed he hit his head and was bloodied but conscious. He has been taken to a medical clinic for X-rays.

Rahles-Rahbula after winning the honour as Australia’s flag bearer for the opening ceremony.

The single leg amputee, who works as a physio in Geelong, was practicing downhill where skiers hit speeds upwards of 80km/h.

Rahles-Rahbula last night spoke of his excitement at carrying the flag in his fourth and final Paralympic Games, where he will be joined in Sochi by his wife and two-year-old son.

Rahles-Rahbula, a dual bronze medallist in Vancouver, was one of Australia’s main medal hopes when competition begins on Saturday.

On a tough first day on the snow in Sochi, Toby Kane also crashed but he is okay.

Skiers Toby Kane and Melissa Perrine (back two) had mixed days on the Sochi snow in practice.

Kane, who was right behind his teammate Rahles-Rahbula, estimated they were travelling at speeds of 100km/h on some parts of the course.

“I heard it on the radio that he went down and I thought I’d make him feel better and crash in the same space,” Kane said.

“It’s a really hard thing when it’s your teammate to stand in the start gate and go ‘I want to go at this’ and it makes it a bit more real.

“I hope for Cammy’s sake and for all of our sake he can be ready to ski over the next couple of days.

“It was more difficult than I thought on inspection. Not many people made it down cleanly and had good runs, from my perspective that’s a good thing for me having not finished.

“I don’t think too many people would have taken too much confidence away from today.”

Mitch Gourley was fourth fastest in the men’s standing practice and Melissa Perrine was quickest in the women’s vision impaired.

Mitch Gourley finished fourth in skiing practice but wasn’t otherwise happy with his form.

Gourley said he wasn’t pleased with his skiing or time but happy with his placing.

“Everyone had to deal with some pretty weird conditions today, I didn’t deal with it well, but I made it down and put it together,” the Victorian said.

“I’ve skied in snow like this before especially in Australia because it’s warm and wet, but never in downhill, always in slalom.

“This was well salted and the chemicals they put on it did a pretty good job for inspection ... but it just fell apart, it’s soft and you’ve got to ski differently especially on a speed ski.”

The weather has been playing havoc with skiers’ preparations for the Games with heavy rain followed by warm temperatures and sunshine greeting them this morning.

Australia has had a disrupted start to the week after athletes lost some of their equipment, including prosthetic limbs while in transit, and the team lost $10,000 worth of wax for its alpine skiers.

All of the lost items are expected to be recovered.