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Australia’s renowned aerial skier, Laura Peel, a two-time world champion, has announced her withdrawal from the Olympics due to a severe knee injury.
Peel joins a list of Australian athletes sidelined by injury, including snowboarders Cam Bolton and Misaki Vaughan, alongside teenage freeskier Daisy Thomas.
The 34-year-old athlete suffered a ruptured ACL during a pre-Olympic training session in Airolo, Switzerland, earlier in February. Despite this setback, she held onto hopes of securing her first Olympic medal in what would have been her fourth appearance at the Games.
Prior to her injury, Peel was in remarkable form, having clinched a victory at a recent World Cup event in Canada. She was considered a strong contender for a podium finish in Italy.
However, as official training commenced at the Olympic competition site, Peel realized she was not fit to compete, leading to her difficult decision to step down.
“I’m heart-broken my Olympic dream has come to an end in this way,” the 36-year-old said.
“I put everything into this campaign, and never imagined I wouldn’t make it to the start gate.
“I’m grateful for all the support I have received from the medical and support teams, we have worked so hard to try and change this outcome, but unfortunately it’s not meant to be.”
Her withdrawal is also a blow to Australia’s hopes in the mixed team event, the first time they were set to field a three-skier team, with Peel competing alongside Danielle Scott and Reilly Flanagan.
The Australian team is looking to bring in a replacement athlete for the aerials competition.
On Friday, snowboarder Cam Bolton had to be medically transported back to Australia from Italy after fracturing his neck and back in a scary training accident before his race.
Young freeskier Daisy Thomas also suffered a knee injury in a fall while Misaki Vaughan was ruled out of making her debut, failing a head injury assessment (HIA) after hitting her head while training on Monday.
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