An Austrian snowboarder broke his neck in a crash Thursday, but doctors have ruled out serious permanent damage, the Austrian Olympic committee said in a statement.
Markus Schairer fractured his fifth cervical vertebrae during a quarterfinal race in snowboard cross at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, sailing through the air and landing gruesomely on his upper back and neck on the course's final jump. The impact caused the 30-year-old's goggles to pop off and left him lying on the ground while his competitors crossed the finish line.