Snowboard champ Hirano suffers fractures ahead of Olympics

Tokyo, 22 Jan - Japan's Olympic snowboard champion Ayumu Hirano is facing a race to be fit to defend his halfpipe title at next month's Milan-Cortina Games after suffering fractures and bruises in a crash.

The dreadlocked 27-year-old, who beat retiring American legend Shaun White to win gold at the Beijing Olympics four years ago, was injured after wiping out at a World Cup event in Switzerland on Saturday.

He was left with a bleeding nose and cut mouth after hitting his face hard on his first run in the final.

The Ski Association of Japan (SAJ) said Wednesday that Hirano had undergone medical checks and had suffered "multiple fractures and bruises" but had no bone misalignments.

SAJ said that Hirano was "expected gradually to resume training once the swelling and pain subside" and would undergo treatment in Japan.

The Winter Olympics begin on February 6, with the men's snowboard halfpipe competition getting under way five days later.

Hirano, who won Olympic silver in 2014 and 2018, also competed in skateboarding at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.BSS