Mark McMorris withdraws from big air competition after scary crash

The GIST: Preparing for the Games is no easy feat, never mind adding in an untimely injury. Sadly, that’s exactly what happened to beloved Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris and iconic American skier Lindsey Vonn. Let’s discuss the latest on these Olympic powerhouses.

🏂 McMorris misses big air competition: The 32-year-old was forced to withdraw from the event after suffering a head injury during Wednesday’s practice runs. Still searching for that elusive Olympic gold, McMorris’ podium hopes now rest on next week’s slopestyle event, where the Regina product has already earned bronze the last three Games.

• It’s not the first time McMorris has faced adversity ahead of the Olympics. In 2017, he was hospitalized for 10 days with life-threatening injuries from a backcountry crash in Whistler, BC. Less than a year later, he won bronze in Pyeongchang. We’ve seen this film before.

🎿 Vonn to ski for fourth career Olympic medal, Sunday at 5:30 a.m. ET: Thought the comeback was over after she ruptured her ACL last week? Think again. A normal person shouldn't ski on such an injury, but Vonn isn’t a normal person; she’s an Olympian, with enough strength in her legs to compensate for her unstable knee. That’s why she’s still training like a beast, knee brace and all.

• Boasting an ironclad reputation as one of the greatest skiers of all time, 41-year-old Vonn has nothing left to prove — or if you ask her, she has nothing to lose. A medal favorite before the injury, now Vonn’s ready for one more attempt at 90 seconds of glory.