Two-time Olympic medalist Cassie Sharpe suffered a frightening fall during the women's halfpipe qualifying event at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics in Livigno, Italy. The 33-year-old from Comox, B. C., crashed on her second run, landing off-balance and slamming hard onto her side before sliding to the bottom of the halfpipe. Medical personnel attended to her for several minutes before taking her off the course on a stretcher.
Despite the scary scene, Sharpe waved to the crowd as she was being transported, and officials have reported that she is in stable condition. According to Freestyle Canada, Sharpe briefly lost consciousness but was awake and taken to a clinic in Livigno for further evaluation. Sharpe had already secured a spot in the finals with a score of 88.25 from her first run, placing her third overall.
Sharpe is a decorated athlete, having won gold at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and silver at the 2022 Beijing Olympics. She took a break from competition after the Beijing Games to start a family but returned to training in January 2024. Prior to the Olympics, Sharpe expressed that qualifying for Milan Cortina was her primary goal, with anything beyond that being a bonus.
Canadians Amy Fraser and Rachael Karker also qualified for the finals, placing seventh and ninth respectively. Dillan Glennie, however, did not qualify. The women's halfpipe final is scheduled for Saturday.
