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'Hate to see this': Aussie star in 'scary' scenes at Winter Olympics

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·4-min read
Belle Brockhoff, pictured here being taken from the mountain on a stretcher after crashing during the snowboard mixed team cross.
Belle Brockhoff was taken from the mountain on a stretcher after crashing during the snowboard mixed team cross. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Australia's Belle Brockhoff has been taken from the course on a stretcher after a scary mishap in the mixed snowboard cross team event at the Winter Olympics.

Australia suffered a disastrous result in the inaugural mixed event on Saturday, with Brockhoff and Josie Baff both crashing out.

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Australia fielded two teams in the quarter-finals as the mixed event made its debut at the Beijing Games.

However it ended in disaster for the Aussies after both teams failed to finish.

After Cam Bolton and Adam Lambert finished first and third in the men's leg, Brockhoff and Baff were tasked with trying to finish in the top two to progress to the semis.

However Baff crashed out early in the race and Brockhoff went down not long after.

"That is a disaster for the Australians," Dave Culbert said in commentary for Channel 7, while a co-commentator called it "devastating".

With snow falling on the slopes at Genting Snow Park for the first time all week, conditions were extremely tricky for the athletes.

Brockhoff went down particularly hard after clipping the board of Lindsey Jacobellis and stayed down for an extended period.

Belle Brockhoff, pictured here after crashing in the snowboard cross mixed event at the Winter Olympics.
Belle Brockhoff crashed during the snowboard cross mixed event at the Winter Olympics. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

The course was put on hold as medics attended to the Australian star, who didn't immediately get back to her feet.

She was eventually taken off the course on a stretcher and transferred to hospital for precautionary scans after complaining of a sore neck.

Fans and commentators sent their well-wishes to Brockhoff amid the concerning scenes.

Jarryd Hughes left out of mixed snowboard cross event

Baff and Lambert were entered into the event following the late withdrawal of a team from the Czech Republic.

Reigning mixed team world champion Jarryd Hughes was left out of both lineups after he failed to hit his straps in the men's event following a troubled build-up to Beijing due to injury.

Hughes and Brockhoff, both triple Olympians, won the world title in the event in Sweden in 2021.

Hughes, who won a silver medal in the men's event four years ago in PyeongChang, was badly off the pace in the men's event, qualifying through the seeding round in 28th spot.

He was then eliminated in the first final, later admitting he preferred racing on a bigger Olympic course, in terms of jumps.

Lambert qualified in 20th spot while Dickson was 15th, but it's believed the former was in better form in Beijing.

Fellow triple Olympian Bolton was the best of the Australian men, qualifying eighth fastest and then winning his 1/8 final before being over-run in the quarters.

He won a World Cup bronze just last month.

with AAP

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