Another serious fall in an Olympic freestyle competition: Canadian ski freestyler Cassie Sharpe fell heavily while qualifying for the halfpipe final. The German starter Cakmakli missed qualifying for the final.
33-year-old Cassie Sharpe fell while landing after a trick and hit her head hard on the ice pipe. Sharpe was treated for a long time and was taken away in a stretcher after about ten minutes. When she waved both arms and raised her head slightly, the audience cheered in relief. The extent of her injuries was initially unknown.
Sharpe won Olympic gold in 2018
Beforehand there was silence in the audience, her opponents like superstar Eileen Gu looked anxiously into the halfpipe. Teammate Rachael Karker turned away in the finish area and received consolation as Sharpe was treated. The 2018 halfpipe Olympic champion is competing in her first Winter Games as a mother. Daughter Lou was born in 2023. Thanks to her strong performance in her first of two runs, Sharpe easily made it into the final in third place. However, it is questionable whether she can compete on Saturday.
Not the first fall at these Winter Games
There had already been several serious falls during the snowboard competitions in the halfpipe in Livigno. The Chinese Liu Jiayu had a serious fall in the qualification, but did not suffer any serious injuries. The Australian Cameron Bolton, however, broke two cervical vertebrae during training before the start of the Winter Games.
German Cakmakli misses final
The German ski freestyler Sabrina Cakmakli missed qualifying for the final. The 31-year-old came in 16th place and therefore did not make it to the final of the best 12. 3.25 points were missing from reaching the final battle of the best twelve on Saturday (7.30 p.m.). This is Cakmakli’s fourth Olympic participation and she reached the final twice.
The best qualifying candidate was British world champion Zoe Atkin with 91.50 points. Super star Eileen Gu couldn’t help but tremble. The American-born woman, who competes for China and won gold in the halfpipe and big air in 2022, fell in her first run. After her solid second, the two-time runner-up in these games (Slopestyle/Big Air) shouted at the finish: “Why do I always make it so exciting??!” But 86.50 points were enough for fifth place and easily for the final.