Winter Olympics 2022: Japan snowboarder Rina Yoshika suffers spinal injury during training session
Slopestyle event is set to begin Saturday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Japanese snowboarder Rina Yoshika suffered a spinal injury after a major crash during training for the slopestyle contest at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday.
Officials said Yoshika is not paralyzed and will return home after receiving treatment for her injuries.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Medical personnel checks on Japan's Rina Yoshika after she fell on the slopestyle course ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Yoshika, 22, was entering the Olympics ranked No. 12 in the world. She fell hard after misfiring on her jump during her practice session. Medical personnel rushed to her side quickly to help her and took about 20 minutes to stabilize her and put her in a sled to take her down the hill.
Japan's Rina Yoshika falls on the slopestyle course ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
The women’s slopestyle competition is set to begin Saturday.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Japan's Rina Yoshika is taken by the rescue crew after she was injured on the slopestyle course during a training ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
With Yoshika on the sidelines, Japan will be represented by Reira Iwabuchi, Kokomo Murase and Miyabi Onitsuka. Neither competitor have won Olympic medals. Iwabuchi captured a silver at the 2018 Winter X Games in the big air competition. Onitsuka had a gold meal at the 2015 World Championships in slopestyle.
American Jamie Anderson is among the favorites to win the event.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Anderson won gold in slopestyle at the 2014 Sochi and 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She also won silver in 2018 in big air. At the Winter X Games, Anderson is a seven-time gold medalist in slopestyle.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.