KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (AP) - Maggie Voisin didn’t come all this way to let a fractured leg keep her from experiencing the Olympics.
The 15-year-old freestyle skier won’t be able to compete when slopestyle skiing makes its Olympic debut on Tuesday after she crashed during practice. She still managed to walk during the Opening Ceremonies and even with her Games over before they even begin , the youngest member of Team USA isn’t about to sprint home.
“It’s sad but I can’t dwell on this,” Voisin said. “I want to enjoy the rest of the Olympics and enjoy what the experience has to offer.”
Even if it means watching her teammates from the bottom of the tricky Rosa Khutor Extreme Park course rather than hanging out at the top. A fractured fibula in her right leg ended all that, but she’s not blaming the 2,000-foot roller coaster covered in snow for her misstep.
“It was super safe, super fun,” she said. “I got the flow. It was a good competition. We had a good run plan. Unfortunately, it was just freak accident. That’s part of our sport. It was awful timing.”
Then again, the teenager from Whitefish, Mont., has the benefit of time. An emerging star in a sport finding its legs in the mainstream, Voisin surprised even herself by making the Olympic team. All it did was deepen the drive that’s already made her come so far, so fast.
“I’ll be back,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
- By Will Graves - Twitter https://twitter.com/WillGravesAP
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Associated Press reporters will be filing dispatches about happenings in and around Sochi during the 2014 Winter Games. Follow AP journalists covering the Olympics on Twitter: https://apne.ws/1c3WMiu
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