It was February 7, 2022.

Due to the windy weather on the previous day, the competition was delayed and ultimately canceled at the Xiaohaituo alpine ski resort. Both the men’s downhill final and the women’s giant slalom final of alpine skiing are scheduled to be held today.

This morning, the first round of the women’s giant slalom started first. American star Mikaela Shiffrin, ranking No. 1 in the world, fell at the 6th gate and no longer had the chance to get a gold medal at the competition. At the end of the first round, 23 of the more than 80 skiers fell. Although none of them had a serious injury, all members of the medical rescue team felt the heavy burden on their shoulders.

The men’s downhill final started at 12:00 noon. The second skier fell on the steep “Haituo Bowl” section, and our medical rescue team set off immediately, dealt with the skier’s injury in a timely, precise and efficient manner, and quickly transferred him to a medical service station for further treatment. Soon, the game continued after this episode.

Maybe the conviction of our medical rescue team worked wonders, no accident happened to subsequent downhill skiers and the men’s downhill final successfully concluded.

The medical rescue team skipped lunch to rush to the medical service points of the competition track and get ready for the women’s giant slalom final.

The final was exciting and cutthroat, and No. 1 skier at one point was always outperformed by another. The US skier Nina O’Brien, who started the final as the sixth skier from the last, performed very well. She kept breaking the record at the timing points and just when she was about to cross the line, she lost control at the last gate, and her body and snowboard spun several times in the air before crashing to the ground.

Nina O’Brien endured the pain and supported her left leg herself, and the medical rescue team near the finish line rushed to her.

More rescue team members rushed to her immediately, examined her carefully and gave her first-aid care such as analgesia and immobilization, and then sent her to the medical service station.

Nina O’Brien, after examination, was confirmed to suffer an open comminuted fracture in the lower leg, thus she was immediately sent to Yanqing Hospital and underwent an emergency operation an hour later. After the operation, she posted on her personal social media account that she was properly treated after suffering the injury and thanked the members of the medical rescue team.

Today, the emergency medical treatment capabilities of our medical rescue team withstood the test. We are the guardians of health for the Winter Olympics, and we hope to protect every athlete who races on the snow.

Ski doctors lost no time in performing rescue on the snow

Written by and Picture courtesy of Deng Kan from the Department of Neurosurgery

Translator: Liuhai Yan

Editor: Wang Yao