Chinese snowboarder Liu Jiayu taken off on stretcher after scary fall at Olympics

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LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Chinese snowboarder Liu Jiayu received treatment for a head injury but suffered no major injuries to her spine after a scary fall in Olympic halfpipe qualifying Wednesday, people familiar with her medical report told The Associated Press.

The 33-year-old Liu had to be carried off the halfpipe on a stretcher after the toe edge of her snowboard got caught in the snow, sending her slamming, face-first, into the bottom of the halfpipe. The people who spoke to AP requested anonymity because China's Olympic committee had not released information.

Liu was trying to finish her second and final run of qualifying with a 900-degree spin. After she slammed to the halfpipe, her legs and board snapped over her back — a wreck known in snowboarding parlance as a “Scorpion.”

Action on the halfpipe halted for about 10 minutes while medical personnel attended to her. The people who knew about the medical assessment said she never lost consciousness.

The injury came two days after Australian snowboardcross racer Cam Bolton was taken to the hospital with what the team said were two stable neck fractures.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics