According to the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association, 29-year-old Canadian female freestyle skiing star Sarah Burke, who had suffered a severe brain injury during training, passed away on Thursday local time on the 20th.
Burke, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, was hailed as Canada’s sexiest skiing star. She was a four-time Winter X Games gold medalist and one of the leading figures in women’s halfpipe skiing. On January 10, Burke fell and suffered a severe brain injury while practicing at a training venue near Park City, Utah, and was immediately taken to the University of Utah Medical Center. She was diagnosed with a ruptured vertebral artery, which affected blood supply to the brain and caused a serious hematoma. Nine days later, doctors announced Burke’s death.
Currently, the superpipe has become an official event at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Burke had been considered a strong medal contender in that event.
Her family later stated in a release that they had decided to donate Burke’s organs for transplant to other patients.
