Australian Olympic snowboarder undergoes surgery after high-speed crash
By Billie Eder
Australian Olympic snowboarder Belle Brockhoff has undergone surgery in Greece after sustaining a serious back injury at a competition on the weekend.
Brockhoff was competing at the Snowboard Cross World Cup in Georgia when she crashed at a high speed and landed on her coccyx in her final race on Saturday.
Belle Brockhoff competes at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.Credit: Getty
The three-time Olympian was airlifted from the course and taken to a hospital in the Georgian capital Tbilisi, where it was revealed she had fractured the L1 vertebrae – the highest bone of the lower back – with no neurological damage.
The 32-year-old was then evacuated to Greece for surgery, where she was accompanied by a member of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia medical team, along with her partner.
“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,” said Geoff Lipshut, the chief executive of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.
“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.”
Brockhoff, ranked No. 25 in the World Cup rankings, was the first Australian woman to claim a World Cup medal in the women’s snowboard cross when she won bronze in Austria in 2013.
She has since competed at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, the 2018 Games in PyeongChang and the 2022 Games in Beijing, with her best finish coming at the 2022 Olympics where she placed fourth in the women’s snowboard cross final.
The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) put a post out on social media on Tuesday (Australia time) regarding Brockhoff’s condition.
“After placing third in Friday’s SBX qualifiers for Saturday’s race, her weekend took an unfortunate turn,” the post read.
“She suffered a heavy crash in the small final on the first race day in Gudauri. According to initial reports, she has sustained a serious back injury, bringing her season to an early end.
“Wishing you a speedy recovery and hoping to see you back on the World Cup circuit soon. Come back stronger, world champion.”