It was a disappointing end to the FIS World Championships snowboard cross event in La Molina, Spain, for Squamish's Maélle Ricker.
Ricker advanced to the final four and was jockeying for first place with American Lindsey Jacobellis during the four-person final on Tuesday (Jan. 18), but in trying to avoid a collision with Jacobellis, Ricker stumbled and crashed to finish fourth. She suffered minor injuries in the tumble.
"Maëlle suffered from a bruised left shoulder and left elbow, as well as fractured two metacarpal bones in her left hand," Dr. Connie LeBrun, chief medical officer of the Canadian Snowboard Team, said in a statement.
"These fractures will require surgery to stabilize the bones properly, but she is otherwise fine and will be flying back to Vancouver to have the surgery done. The injury should heal up well, with no long-term effects. She is in good spirits."
Ricker's teammate Dominique Maltais, who placed third in the final, expressed concern for her running mate.
"I hope Maëlle will be OK," she said.
Despite a poor start, Maltais managed to continue her string of solid showings.
"In the finals, I had a bad start and was always trying to catch them," she said. "It was a tough course with lots of flat landings. The big goals for me today were not to get injured as I am focusing on the World Cup season more than anything else. That being said, I am always racing to be on the podium, so I am happy."
Maltais is tied for first place in the overall standings for the World Cup series, while Ricker the 2010 Olympic gold medalist in the discipline is third.
On the men's side, Squamish's Tom Velisek, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday (Jan. 15), had an early exit after finishing fourth in his first race in the elimination round. Velisek suffered the same fate as Ricker, as he fell in the middle part of the course. Velisek placed 31st in the race and now sits in 17th place in the overall men's standings. The next stop for the FIS World Cup tour will be Yongpyong, Korea and is scheduled to begin on Feb. 8.
For more information on the team, visit www.canadasnowboard.ca.
