Freestyle skiing-Canada's Gaskell pulls out of inaugural freeski Big Air event

BEIJING : Canadian freestyle skier Elena Gaskell will not compete at the Beijing Games in the qualifying round of the first-ever Olympics freeski Big Air event on Monday, she announced on her Instagram.

"I'm absolutely heartbroken... Thank you to everyone who was going to watch me and has already been so supportive this whole experience," the 20-year-old Gaskell wrote on Sunday.

She did not give a reason for her decision to pull out after she had joined a training session in the Big Air Shougang venue.

A spokesperson for the Canadian Olympic Committee said the reason was not COVID-related and it will provide updates later.

Beijing is the first Olympics for Gaskell, who won bronze in the FIS World Cup Freekski Big Air event in Chur, Switzerland in October.

It was unclear if she would still compete in other events at the Games, including halfpipe and slpestyle.

(Reporting by Krystal Hu; Editing by Ken Ferris)