‘Ouch! A big impact!’ – Skiers smash through gates in ‘really unusual’ crashes at Beijing Winter Olympics

Aleksander Adrienko of the ROC had a huge collision after he straddled and fell through a gate during the giant slalom at the Beijing 2022 Olympics. Marco Odermatt fulfilled his billing as a favourite for gold in the event as he coped best with the extremely challenging conditions to win the title, but there were an unfortunate host of big crashes. Ad/> Heavy snow and poor visibility caused havoc, with several contenders for the medals struggling to deal with the blizzard, and Adrienko was one such hapless participant who suffered at the hands of the brutal weather.

Beijing 2022‘I don’t understand, where is the ski?’ — Mystery delays giant slalomAN HOUR AGO After catching a ski in a gate and tumbling down the hill, he then collided with another gate as he lost his other ski. Thankfully, he was okay, but it was a nasty crash. «Ouch! That is a big impact!» Eurosport's Finlay Mickel said on commentary.

«He seems okay, but that is a worry. It is so difficult out there today. He actually caught the edge.

That is really unusual.» Luca De Aliprandini was another to suffer «a nightmare» as a result of the conditions as he smashed through a gate himself. Unable to contain his speed in the blizzard while turning, De Aliprandini tumbled into a gate and down the hill in another nasty moment. Conditions were tough with heavy snow falling on a course that is put together using manufactured snow, with mist and fog also causing issues with visibility, prompting complaints from some of the skiers.