American Alpine skier Nina O’Brien refractured her left leg, the same one she broke during the 2022 Winter Olympics.
O'Brien announced the injury in an Instagram post, saying that she broke it while training in New Zealand.
"This one hurts, again," O'Brien said. "Something about life and lemons, right? I’m really sad to share that I left New Zealand after re-fracturing my leg. Ski racing, I love you but wow you can be brutal. I was having the best camp, and just want to get back to those moments. So I guess we’ll have to try this thing again.. at least this isn’t my first rodeo."
O'Brien fractured her leg in February 2022 while competing in the giant slalom in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She crashed just before the finish line, as she was was going at top speed when she lost her balance. She was then taken off the course in a stretcher.
With a compound fracture of her left tibia and fibula, O'Brien had immediate surgery in China to prevent infection as she said her tibia had "an open fracture through my leg."
After recovering from the gruesome injury, O'Brien had a successful 2022-23 season, becoming a world champion in the U.S. mixed team event at the 2023 World Championships in France. She also finished 11th in the giant slalom, just short of a career-best finish.
O’Brien has been a key member of the women’s World Cup tech team, consistently scoring World Cup points.
U.S. Ski and Snowboard said O'Brien had surgery scheduled for Tuesday and will miss the upcoming 2023-24 season.
