Canadian snowboard legend Mark McMorris was ready for his fourth Olympic appearance. However, during a big air training session, the three-time bronze medalist in the sport’s grandest stage was carried from the course on a stretcher following his heavy crash that also sent a tremor of concern through the community. Now, the Canadian Olympic Committee has issued an update regarding the snowboarder’s condition.

CBC reporter Devin Heroux revealed the official statement from COC on X, labeling McMorris as the one who “had a heavy crash this evening,” and was under the care of team medical staff. With the men’s big air qualifying event scheduled for the following night, just hours before the opening ceremony, the timing was cruel. Heroux also shared a comment from the Canada Snowboard Team’s IG post.

“Mark’s okay, we wish him the best. More to come.”

The incident in Livigno showcases how fast tables can turn in the Winter Games.

At 32, he came to these Olympics not just to add to his historic collection of three consecutive Olympic bronzes but to finally reach the podium in big air.

The medals he won in the Games were in slopestyle. Now, he wants to repeat those performances in the big air from the X Games, where he has won gold before. The discipline is a display of extreme physics as these athletes launch from a ramp towering over 50 meters (165 feet) to attempt multiple spins before landing. And it should be perfect, because if not, even a small error can cause major crashes.

Just days before this incident in Livigno, Mark McMorris opened up about his health.

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“I’ve been feeling pretty good, staying strong and putting quite a bit of effort in the gym to build a robust frame because what we do can be a little tricky at times on the body.”

But this isn’t the first time that he crashed in his career.

Mark McMorris’ career is marked by resilience

Canada’s Mark McMorris has that “never-say-die” mentality embedded in every single one of his neurons. His first major setback occurred in 2016 when he broke his femur. Recently, on a Facebook post, he recalled those memories.

“What a time… #2016…I was 22, on top of the world, and quite honestly feeling invincible.. and then boom! I broke my femur in late February. My first major injury of my career. I was shook!”

He added, “That injury taught me a lot about myself and how amazing the human body is. A lot of people played a big role in bringing me back mentally and physically. Forever grateful for you all. An amazing year nonetheless and incredibly special to look back on!”

While McMorris took such incidents as something to learn from, there was more to come.

In 2017, he faced a grave accident in Whistler.

“I just whacked it out of mid-air. It was not a small tree and (it didn’t have) branches on it. I hit it all on my left side. I did a front-side 360, and as I turned around, it was just like right there. And then it was just — boom. I broke everything, like 16 bones or something, in one hit. That’s like a car crash,” he revealed a few months after the incident.

The list of his injuries included a fractured jaw and arm, ruptured spleen, pelvic fracture, and a collapsed lung.

“I didn’t think I’d ever snowboard again when I was lying there after I hit that tree. I was awake and was waiting. As soon as the helicopter got there (90 minutes later), I went to sleep. I remember the whole time waiting, just trying to survive because (I) ruptured (my) spleen and all that, and my jaw was just hanging. I was puking. I thought I was going to die — literally,” he added.

Now, with his condition unknown, only time will tell if he will be fit for the men’s snowboard big air qualification in a few hours.