LIVIGNO, Italy Feb 7 (Reuters) - Canada's Olympic champion Meryeta O’Dine has been ruled out of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games after a fracture in a snowboard cross training session, the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canada Snowboard said on Saturday.
Medical staff evaluated the 26‑year‑old after she fell and imaging confirmed the ankle bone injury, ending the two‑time Olympic medallist’s campaign before the competitions begin.
O’Dine, at her third Olympics, is a key figure in the national snowboard cross programme and one of the team’s most experienced riders.
"Her absence from competition is a significant loss for the team," the statement added.
O'Dine said she was heartbroken. “But I am proud of the work I put in this year to get here... I have seen a new athlete in myself emerge from the challenges I have faced this year and will continue to rise above. I am upset now, but I will grow from this.”
She is receiving care from the Canadian medical team in Livigno and will be monitored as she begins her recovery.
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti in Livigno; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
