American mogul skier Heidi Kloser suffered a heartbreaking injury on Thursday during an Olympic practice run. The 21-year-old was warming up for the first qualification run of her Olympic career when she suffered a torn ACL. Knee injuries are common for mogul skiers, but that doesn’t make them any less devastating.
As if the story of a girl who spends years training only to have a serious injury knock her out of competition on the eve of the Sochi Games isn’t depressing enough, Kloser’s father Mike shared some details on Facebook. He said Heidi is “doing ok” but that the injury is tough for the entire family to swallow.
“When she was in the ambulance, she asked Emily (Heidi’s mother) and me if she was still an Olympian,” Mike wrote. “We said of course she is!”
Unfortunately, Kloser has a long road of rehab ahead if she wants to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics. She still attended the opening ceremony on Friday with her teammates from the US.
Heading to Opening Ceremonies! Excited that I will still get to walk! #Olympics #TeamUSA #Sochi2014 #ice pic.twitter.com/84UyT8akSa
— Heidi Kloser (@HeidiKloser) February 7, 2014
We wish Heidi the best in her recovery.
