As expected, Canada’s Cassie Sharpe sits out Olympic halfpipe final after nasty crash

Canada's Cassie Sharpe celebrates during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

LIVIGNO — Canadian freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe, citing a heavy concussion, facial contusion and some lingering dizziness, pulled out of Saturday’s Olympic freeski halfpipe final in the wake of a nasty fall in qualifying Thursday.

The announcement was not unexpected, given the severity of the crash, which resulted in the former Olympic champion spending two nights in hospital

“It’s just not safe for me to ski tonight. Nor am I medically cleared to,” Sharpe said in a social media video. “This is the right call. It’s hard to accept. But sometimes health, family, friends, life, it’s bigger than sport, even when it’s the Olympics.”

Sharpe managed to finish third in qualifying despite being taken out of the halfpipe on a stretcher after a hard crash on her second run.

The 33-year-old from Comox, B.C., who won gold in 2018 in Pyeongchang and silver four years ago in Beijing, fell on her fifth trick, attempting at 080 jump. Her skis went flying as she attempted to land in a switch (backwards) position, and she lay face down on the snow at the bottom of the pipe.

After a lengthy delay, she was stretchered off the pipe, waving her arms to the crowd.

“In qualifying I’m really proud of the skiing I put down,” said Sharpe. “Qualifying into the finals was the goal but doing it in third, I genuinely skied my heart out. And I was going for my third Olympic medal. I wasn’t backing down. I put it all in the halfpipe and I’m really proud of that performance.”

The Canadian Olympic Committee, in a brief statement, said Sharpe was back in the athletes’ village. Sharpe, meanwhile, said she was looking forward to cheering on teammates Amy Fraser and Rachael Karker.

Calgary’s Brendan Mackay, Karker’s fiancé, won bronze in the men’s freeski halfpipe Friday evening. Karker won bronze four years ago in Beijing while Fraser finished eight.

Sharpe had been looking forward to a different Olympics, after giving birth to daughter Louella in August 2023, with plenty of family in Italy.

“I obviously want to go in to win and be on the podium,” Sharpe told The Canadian Press before the games. “That would be beautiful and amazing and great. But if that doesn’t happen, I’m still coming home to my family, to my daughter, to my life that I’ve created here. So there’s definitely a wider view of what life means to me these days.”

Her mother, Chantal, who took a leave of absence from her job as an airline attendant to help care for Louella on the road, came as well as Sharpe’s father, husband, two brothers and other friends.

Husband Justin Dorey was a 2014 Olympian in freestyle halfpipe, while younger brother Darcy was a 2022 Olympian in snowboard slopestyle and big air

The Olympic halfpipe, some 198 metres long with walls of 7.2 metres, has taken its toll.

Defending world champion Finley Melville Ives fell on both qualifying runs Friday, with a hard impact on the second. The 19-year-old star from New Zealand was 23rd after the first run and, pushing to lay down a score, went down hard to open the second qualifying run and was stretchered off the course.

He was later diagnosed with a concussion and broken collarbone.

“It’s part of our sport,” said Canadian halfpipe coach Trennon Paynter. “We know it’s a dangerous sport. It’s what they sign up for, but you really have to be able to take that in stride and move through that and turn your brain to the task at hand.”

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press