thedailywhat:

RIP: Sad news out of University of Utah Hospital today, where champion freestyle skier Sarah Burke passed away after succumbing to injuries she sustained following a training accident.

She was 29.

The four-time X Games winner who became an icon in her sport suffered irreversible brain damage following a cardiac arrest brought on by a vertebral artery rupture she suffered as a result of a halfpipe accident which occurred nine days ago at Park City Mountain Resort.

The infamous Eagle Superpipe was also the site of snowboarder Kevin Pearce’s 2009 training accident which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. He has since recovered.

“Sarah, in many ways, defines the sport,” said the CEO of Canada’s freestyle team, Peter Judge, prior to Burke’s death. “She’s been involved since the very, very early days as one of the first people to bring skis into the pipe. She’s also been very dedicated in trying to define her sport but not define herself by winning. For her, it’s been about making herself the best she can be rather than comparing herself to other people.”

Her family released a statement confirming her death, but has asked the media for privacy to mourn their loss.

Below: Sarah Burke takes home the superpipe gold at Winter X Games 2011.

[ctv / usatoday.]