Winter Olympics: Team GB's Katie Ormerod has surgery on heel
By Chris Williams
Last Updated: 09/02/18 11:58am
Katie Ormerod has had surgery on her broken heel and says she will return much stronger after being ruled out of the Winter Olympics.
The 20-year-old had surgery on Friday morning after severely fracturing her heel in a crash during snowboarding practice 24 hours earlier.
Ormerod was hailed as one of Team GB's strongest possibilities for a podium finish in Pyeongchang after she won a big air World Cup event in Moscow last season.
She was hoping to emulate British snowboarder Jennie Jones, who won a bronze medal at Sochi in 2014.
Despite breaking her wrist a day earlier Ormerod was still keen to fulfil her dream of competing at the Olympics. It was her latest setback after breaking a bone in her back last March.
Ormerod said on social media: "After dreaming of competing at the Olympics for years, I got there and received the most bad luck I've ever had!
"Broke my wrist but was determined to compete, but then I severely broke my heel into 2 pieces and having surgery in a couple of hours. Absolutely gutted!"
The chair of UK Sport Dame Katherine Grainger has backed the injured star to return stronger and feels she can compete for medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Grainger said: "I know she will get past this and come back more enthused in four years' time.
"She has always come back stronger from these setbacks and I'm sure she will again."
Aimee Fuller will now be the only Team GB competitor in the women's snowboard slopestyle, which starts on Sunday.
Team GB will have 65 athletes, coaches and support staff marching at the Olympic opening ceremony on Friday. The British Olympic Association said 40 of the participants at the ceremony will be athletes.
