Russian skicross racer Komissarova breaks spine

Olympic skicross racer Maria Komissarova of Russia underwent a 6.5-hour operation on her fractured spine following a training accident Saturday.

The 23-year-old had a metal implant inserted and surgeons said they would not know how successful the emergency operation had been for three or four days.

Her condition was serious but stable, the Russia Freestyle Skiing Federation said, adding that she was likely to be taken to a Moscow hospital or go abroad for treatment when it was possible to move her.

She will no longer be able to participate in the international sporting event, the Freestyle Federation of Russia said in a release.

President Vladimir Putin visited Komissarova on Saturday evening to wish her a rapid recovery and doctors briefed him on the surgery, the federation said.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said in a statement: "Our thoughts are with the athlete and the family."

Komissarova was practicing on a sunny morning on the 1,200-meter course, which has sharply banked turns and big jumps.

International ski federation spokeswoman Jenny Wiedeke says the accident occurred on a series of jumps near the top of the course and that Komissarova fell while exiting the third jump. Komissarova was taken by sled to the medical services tent, and from there to the hospital.

The skicross course at Extreme Park is a medium-pitch slope which features cambered turns, gap jumps, drops and flat sections.

The skiers race down the course in groups of four in a test of speed, skill and aggression with the first across the line the winner.

"You will never be able to exclude any kind of risk," IOC President Thomas Bach said.

"We feel very sorry for the athlete. We hope that the operation will be successful and that she will be back."

Bach said that, as he understood it, the accident had nothing to do with conditions at the Extreme Park.

"The first information is that it was nothing to do with the infrastructure, the snow conditions. It was in a training session and this unfortunate incident happened.

"Our thoughts are with the athlete."

Wire services