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Canadian freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe will not compete in Saturday’s Olympic women’s halfpipe final after suffering a bad fall during qualification on Thursday.
The 33-year-old, from Comox, B.C., lost consciousness and was taken off the course on a sled.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Freestyle Canada said that Sharpe is out of hospital and in the Athlete Vilage but has not been cleared by COC and Freestyle Canada medical staff to participate in finals.
Sharpe won halfpipe Olympic gold in 2018 and silver in 2022, and had already qualified among the top 12 for Saturday’s final before the crash.
In an Instagram post, Sharpe gave an update on her condition after spending two nights in the hospital.
“I will not be able to compete tonight. It’s a tough one to swallow, and not the way I wanted to end my Olympic experience, but I’m dealing with a heavy concussion, a little face contusion, and some lingering dizziness, and it’s just not safe for me to ski tonight, nor am I medically cleared too. So, this is the right call,” Sharpe said.
“It’s hard to accept. But sometimes health, family, friends, life, it’s bigger than sport, even when it’s the Olympics.”
Sharpe also shared her appreciation for everyone who reached out to check in on her, and how proud she was of her performance despite not being able to compete in the final.
“Truly, over the past couple of days, I felt so much love and support. I felt it in a really, really big way. I’m so grateful,” she said. “I’m really proud of the skiing that I put down, qualifying into the finals was the goal, but doing it in third, I genuinely skied my heart out. And I was going for my third Olympic medal. I wasn’t backing down, and I put it on the half pipe, and I’m really proud of that performance.”
Canada will have two competitors in the final: Calgary’s Amy Fraser and Rachael Karker, of Erin, Ont., who finished seventh and ninth in qualifying, respectively.
WATCH | Sharpe crashes during 2nd run:
Canada’s Cassie Sharpe taken away by sled after crash in freeski halfpipe qualification
Olympic gold and silver-medalist Cassie Sharpe of Comox, B.C., had already qualified for the Olympic women’s freeski halfpipe final, when she crashed during her second run.
