Olympic Ski Halfpipe Qualifier Filled With Scary Crashes
Feb 17, 2022, 8:42 AM
ZHANGJIAKOU, CHINA - FEBRUARY 17: Jon Sallinen of Team Finland crashes into a cameraman on his first run during the Men's Freestyle Skiing Freeski Halfpipe Qualification on Day 13 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Genting Snow Park on February 17, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China . (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
ZHANGJIAKOU, China (AP) — Freestyle skier Jon Sallinen’s first run in Olympic halfpipe qualifying wasn’t picture perfect.
He drifted out of the halfpipe and collided with a photographer. He fell again on his second run.
It’s all just a snapshot of a dangerous sport that leaves most of these athletes with scars both inside and out.
⚠️ Watch out for the cameraperson! 💥
Does Jon Sallinen owe them a new camera? 🎥😉#Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/0la1rF5kmD
— Eurosport (@eurosport) February 17, 2022
Sallinen’s wrecks during the qualifying round gave Aaron Blunck flashbacks to his own crash in the halfpipe 16 months ago.
He broke six ribs, fractured his pelvis, lacerated his kidney and bruised his heart by landing on the pipe’s unforgiving edge.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
Just a year after Japan’s summer Olympics, the Games are back for a winter show in Beijing, China. The unusually short gap between Games is due to the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Strict precautions and enforced virus prevention protocol are in place to help keep athletes, coaches and personnel safe.
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