- Austrian snowboarder Markus Schairer broke his neck in nasty quarterfinal fall
- Incredibly, the 30-year-old still managed to somehow get up and finish his heat
- He was taken to hospital with the Austrian Olympic Committee confirming that he had broken the fifth cervical vertebra in his neck and will now be flown home
A snowboarder broke his neck in a terrible fall during the men’s snowboard cross quarterfinals at the Winter Olympics – but still managed to get up and finish the heat.
Austrian snowboarder Markus Schairer’s quest for Olympic gold was cut short during Thursday’s event after a nasty tumble that saw him land heavily on the back of his head.
The footage shows him lying on his back for a few moments, before he got to his feet and somehow managed to complete the heat.
Schairer, 30, was in fourth place at the time of the nasty fall.
The slow motion clip shows his board start to tilt upwards alarmingly as he gets closer to the ground.
As other snowboarders fly past him, Schairer crashes painfully to the ground with the back of his head terrifyingly smashing against the icy ground.
Markus Schairer broke his neck in a terrifying fall while competing in the quarterfinals of the men’s snowboard cross
His goggles fly off and he can be seen lying prone on the floor seemingly in shock.
After a few moments, he somehow got back to his feet and then finished the heat.
Schairer was examined at a hospital and the Austrian Olympic committee said in a statement that that he broke the fifth cervical vertebra in his neck.
Schairer (pictured) was filmed lying prone on the floor before getting up and incredibly completing his heat
Luckily, they said, he suffered no neurological issues.
He will now be taken back to Austria for medical treatment ‘as soon as possible,’ according to the committee.
They confirmed he is in a stable condition.
His goggles flew off after the horrific fall and he was later examined at a hospital with the Austrian Olympic committee confirming he broke the fifth cervical vertebra in his neck