Japanese snowboarder Yoshika suffers crash at Beijing Games

ZHANGJIAKOU: Japanese snowboarder Rina Yoshika was taken away in an ambulance after suffering a heavy fall in practice at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday (Feb 3), a team official said.

Yoshika crash-landed coming off a jump on the snowboard slopestyle course at the Genting Snow Park.

A Japan Olympic Committee spokesperson told AFP that the 22-year-old was taken away in an ambulance and the extent of her injury was still being assessed.

The Beijing Games, which open on Friday, are taking place in one of the driest regions of China and rely almost entirely on man-made snow.

American snowboarder Jamie Anderson, a reigning two-time Olympic champion, said Wednesday she had been scared trying out the slopestyle course and its artificially made surface, calling it "bulletproof ice".

"I think the majority of it is artificial snow so it's not quite ideal," Anderson said, adding "you definitely don't want to fall".

The women's snowboard slopestyle competition is set to begin with qualifying on Saturday.

Yoshika is entered in the slopestyle and big air competitions.

Catch the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 LIVE with nine dedicated channels on meWATCH. Sign in now at www.mewatch.sg/Beijing2022 and get into the action with Mediacorp, Singapore’s Olympics Network. Or catch highlights on Mediacorp Entertainment on YouTube.