All the Olympics Injuries of the 2022 Winter Games So Far

One of the biggest risks of the Olympics is injury. Any athlete at any sports competition is of course prone to injury, but these Games are different.

The physical intensity of such internationally-driven competitiveness, matches no other. There is no doubt that the caliber of performance is higher than ever. And with high prowess, comes high risk.

Injuries have already begun at the 2022 Beijing Games. Here’s a list of Olympic athletes who have been injured since the Games’ kickoff:

Nina O’Brien, Alpine Skiing

The 24-year-old American alpine skier crashed early Monday morning during the second run of the women’s giant slalom event. Towards the end of her run, O’Brien fell, skidded into one of the gates and slid into the finish area. She was down for several minutes, yet alert and responsive. The event was delayed as she was stretchered off and tended to by medical personnel to address her injuries.

Dominik Schwaiger, Alpine skiing 

The 30-year-old German alpine skier lost control and fell onto his back and slid down the mountain into the safety nets, during the men’s downhill at the Games on Sunday. He was taken off the mountain in a toboggan with an injury to his left arm.

Brianna Decker, Hockey

The athlete collided with a player from Finland during their game on Thursday. She suffered a leg injury in the midst of the first period. Her cries of pain were audible throughout the area, and medical professionals immediately scurried onto the ice to carry her out via stretcher. She received prompt medical attention, including a CT right within the hockey arena.

Park Jang-hyuk, Short track speed skating

The South Korean skater injured his left hand in a collision during the 1,000m event, quarterfinal heat. The athlete was in second place when Pietro Sighel clipped Jang-hyuk’s skate from behind him. He slid towards the wall and immediately collided with China’s Wu Dajing’s skate, leaving his left hand injured. Medical personnel rushed to the ice to assist.

And here’s a list of notable Olympic athletes who were hurt prior to the Games official start:

Rina Yoshika, Snowboarding 

The 22-year-old Japanese snowboarder will not be competing in the 2022 Games in the slopestyle competition, after suffering an intense crash during a training run prior to the Games. The No. 12-ranked snowboarder in the world, badly injured her back after falling hard on a jump during a practice session Thursday. She is confirmed to have suffered a spinal injury, but is not paralyzed.

Mateusz Sochowicz, Luge

This Polish luger suffered a terrible leg injury on the same Beijing track, just three months prior to the Games start. He fractured his left kneecap after crashing into a metal barrier during a practice run in November 2021. Sochowicz, known as “The Seagull,” did not medal in this year’s competition, after placing 27th in the singles runs, however he is commended for even being back on the same track.

Kai Owens, Freestyle skiing

The 17-year-old American freestyle skier injured her left eye during a training run on Tuesday,  before the Olympics began. Owens’ injury was evident, seeing that her eye is still swollen, but she still competed during Sunday’s moguls finals. She was one of four other American skiers to advance to the second round of the moguls finals. Unfortunately, Owens was bumped out, along with Team USA’s Hannah Soar.

Alex Deibold, Snowboarding

At 35 years old, Alex Deibold was hoping to make his way back to the Olympic slopes, but an injury kept him from doing so. The 2014 bronze-medalist suffered from a head injury in November 2021 after falling during a qualifying run at an SBX World Cup.