Japanese snowboarder Yoshika injured in crash
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BEIJING (AP) -- The Latest on the Beijing Olympics:
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Japanese snowboarder Rina Yoshika injured her back in a training crash and will not be able to compete in the Olympic slopestyle contest.
Yoshika, ranked 12th in the world, fell hard on a jump during Thursday’s practice session. Medical staff rushed to help her, and took about 20 minutes to stabilize her and put her in a sled to take her down the hill.
Japanese Olympic officials said the 22-year-old suffered a spinal injury but was not paralyzed. They said she will return home after receiving treatment for her injuries.
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Ukrainian figure skater Ivan Shmuratko has tested positive for the coronavirus, meaning his country will score no points in the men’s component of figure skating’s team event.
Shmuratko says he is “devastated” by the positive test ahead of the men’s short program in the team event Friday.
Ukraine doesn’t have any other men’s skaters at the Olympics so it can’t replace Shmuratko in that part of the team competition.
The Ukrainian Olympic Committee says it hopes Shmuratko can recover in time for the start of the men’s individual competition Tuesday.
Germany is in a similar situation after a positive test for pairs skater Nolan Seegert ruled him out of the team event.
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Brianna Decker has been stretchered off the ice with what appeared to be a severe leg injury in the U.S. women’s hockey team’s opening game at the Beijing Olympics.
Decker yelped out in pain several times while lying on the ice after being tripped from behind by Finland’s Ronja Savolainen to the left of the U.S. net in the first period. Savolainen hooked her leg around Decker’s, and the two fell awkwardly to the ice with the Finland player landing on top of Decker.
Decker yelled as she was being tended to by a team doctor, and the veteran forward was unable to put any weight on her left leg as she was loaded on to a stretcher. The 31-year-old Decker is one of the team’s three assistant captains and is making her third Olympic appearance.
As Decker was being stretchered off, U.S. coach Joel Johnson could be heard asking the official whether a penalty would be called, before being told no.
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Nordic combined star Jarl Magnus Riiber of Norway has tested positive for COVID-19.
The 24-year-old Riiber is No. 2 in the World Cup rankings after a three-year run of being the top-ranked athlete in the sport that combines ski jumping and cross-country skiing. He fell just short of a medal twice at the 2018 Olympics, finishing fourth in the large and normal hill competitions.
Riiber said on Instagram “the (gold) is yours guys.”
The first Nordic combined event at the Beijing Games is Wednesday.
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