2022 Winter Olympic Skiing hopeful George McQuinn was reportedly involved in a terrifying crash while competing at the FIS Freestyle World Cup in Deer Valley, Utah on Thursday (January 13th).
According to New York Post, the entire incident involving the Olympic hopeful was caught on video. It showed McQuinn hitting his head on the last jump of the course. His body appeared to go limp as he slid the rest of the down mountain on his stomach, face down.
Speaking about the incident involving the Olympic hopeful, the U.S. Freestyle Team Communications Liaison, Lara Carlton, reportedly stated that shortly after the crash, McQuinn had regained consciousness and was seeking medical evaluation.
The Salt Lake City Tribune further reports that McQuinn was the only American male to reach the super finale in the World Cup race. The event also served as Team USA’s final Olympic qualifier. Luckily, he qualified with the third-highest score in the six-man super final.
Meanwhile, the event resumed after 15 minutes with Canadian skier and defending Olympic Gold medalist Michael Kingsbury competing next. He also ended up doing the winning run of the event. “This one is for him,” Kingsbury declares, speaking about McQuinn. “I know this was his first super finale. He’s an exciting skier with a bright future. I just hope he’s OK and we get to ski in a super final in the future together.”
Prior to the incident, McQuinn had a second-place finish at the national champion. The Olympic hopeful also had a couple of wins at a U.S. moguls selections event in Winter Park. That event earned him his first World Cup. He also finished 29th of 53 competitors on opening day and moved up to 19th the following day.
Olympic Hopeful George McQuinn Shares Health Update Following Downhill Crash
One day after the crash at the FIS Freestyle World Cup, Olympic hopeful George McQuinn took to his Instagram to give an update about his injuries.
“So pumped to make my first World Cup final and super final on Thursday,” the Olympic hopeful stated in his social media post. “Bummed it didn’t end as planned. But very grateful that I’m in good condition. And [I] will be back on skis in no time. Thanks for all the well wishes after my tumble. Feelin the love.”
After the crash, the Olympic hopeful also shared a selfie of his face covered in red cuts while giving a thumbs-down gesture. “Gnarly crash today, but I’m ok,” he also wrote over the clip of the accident.
The 2022 Winter Olympic Games is set to kick off on February 4th. The exciting multi-sporting event will take place in Beijing, China, from February 4th through February 20th.
