Australian Snowboarder Suffers Serious Neck Injury, Forced Out of Olympics
A significant blow has been dealt to the Australian Olympic team with snowboarder Cam Bolton being airlifted to Milan after sustaining a broken neck during a training session. The 35-year-old athlete, who was participating in his fourth Winter Olympics, suffered the injury in a snowboard cross training incident in Livigno on Monday.
Australian snowboarder Cam Bolton was airlifted to Milan after breaking his neck in a training crash.
Initially, Bolton managed to walk away from the crash. However, by the following day, he was experiencing escalating pain in his neck. Subsequent scans confirmed two fractures, necessitating his urgent transfer by helicopter from the mountain to a medical facility for further treatment.
Team chef de mission, Alisa Camplin, reported that Bolton was in good spirits despite the gravity of his injury and had been joined by his wife. She stated, “Cam wanted to make his teammates understood what was happening and that he was fine and doing well and being looked after well.” Camplin also expressed pride in the support system in place, noting, “He knows how seriously we’re taking the process of support around him and the communication has been really good. I’m proud of the level of care.”
Bolton has a strong track record in the sport, having secured a silver medal in the mixed team snowboard cross event at last year’s world championships in Engadin, Switzerland, alongside Mia Clift.
In response to Bolton’s withdrawal, the Australian Olympic Committee has activated the Late Athlete Replacement protocol. Olympic debutant James Johnstone has been brought onto the men’s snowboard cross team, joining Adam Lambert and Jarryd Hughes for the upcoming qualifying rounds scheduled for Thursday.
This latest incident marks the fourth setback for Australia’s contingent at the Milano Cortina Games. The team has already faced challenges with other athletes:
- Laura Peel: The aerials medal favourite suffered a knee injury during a pre-Olympic training camp.
- Daisy Thomas: A young freeskier, Thomas also injured her knee in a fall and has been withdrawn from the slopestyle event. She remains optimistic about potentially competing in the big air discipline.
- Misaki Vaughan: The 20-year-old snowboard halfpipe rider was ruled out of her Olympic debut after failing a head injury assessment following a training fall. Under current team protocols, she is unable to compete for a minimum of seven days.
Ms. Camplin acknowledged the inherent risks associated with winter sports, commenting, “Unfortunately with winter sport injuries happen along the way, in 53 athletes doing relatively high risk sports it’s not something that’s unusual I’m afraid to say.” She added, “My heart breaks on their behalf – I know how much work goes into an Olympic dream.”
Bolton’s previous Olympic performance saw him as Australia’s highest-placed men’s snowboard cross rider at the Beijing Games, where he finished 13th. He also achieved a ninth-place finish in the inaugural mixed team event in Beijing, competing with Belle Brockhoff.
Positive News Emerges from the Moguls
Amidst the challenging news, there has been a significant positive development on the slopes for defending Olympic champion Jakara Anthony. The 27-year-old athlete topped the moguls qualifying event in Livigno, extending her undefeated streak at the Games to five consecutive rounds of competition. Anthony, who secured Australia’s first women’s moguls gold medal in Beijing, expressed satisfaction with her opening performance.
“My goal was just that I wanted to get through in qualification one so that I just have the chance to come out for finals tomorrow and I don’t need to worry about qualification two,” Anthony shared. “So, yeah, happy.” Her strong performance sets her up well for the finals.
