Nina O’Brien is “alert and responsive” after crashing out of the giant slalom on Monday at the Beijing Winter Olympics, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Crashing out in the final turn, O’Brien was taken off the course on a stretcher after appearing to injure her left leg.
The race was delayed for about 15 minutes.
“She was worried about delaying the race,” the organization said. “And also she wanted to know how fast she was skiing.”
It’s the 24-year-old’s first Olympics. Currently ranked 24th in the world, she was the lone American left in the event after Mikaela Shiffrin crashed out in her first run.
On Monday, Shiffrin took to social media, saying that she is “so heartbroken” for O’Brien.
We are so heartbroken for Nina… she showed so much heart and fire in her skiing today, and it all got shredded to pieces on the final turn. This sport… this sport is SO damn hard. It’s brutal, and it hurts- far more often than it ever feels good. 🤍🙏 pic.twitter.com/9X9llLPVZ0— Mikaela Shiffrin (@MikaelaShiffrin) February 7, 2022
We are so heartbroken for Nina… she showed so much heart and fire in her skiing today, and it all got shredded to pieces on the final turn. This sport… this sport is SO damn hard. It’s brutal, and it hurts- far more often than it ever feels good. 🤍🙏 pic.twitter.com/9X9llLPVZ0
“She showed so much heart and fire in her skiing today, and it all got shredded to pieces on the final turn,” she wrote. “This sport… this sport is so damn hard. It’s brutal, and it hurts – far more than it ever feels good.”
Shiffrin also took time to congratulate the Olympic champion, Sara Hector.
“We’ve all seen her fight for her comeback for years,” she wrote. “To watch her pull everything together this season and manage to keep that momentum going to take gold today was something special. She deserves it so much.”
The slalom event is currently scheduled for Wednesday.