US Snowboarder Seriously Injured

While it looks like skiier Lindsey Vonn will be able to recover from her injuries, US snowboarder Kevin Pearce may not be as lucky. He is in critical condition after suffering a severe head trauma in a training exercise. The 22 year old from Vermont was considered to be a favorite to medal in the half pipe in Vancouver.

Now, according to his doctor, Dr. Holly Ledyard at the University of Utah, he has a long road of recovery ahead of him.

His family says he is stable, and Dr. Ledyard says the focus over the next week or so will be keeping his brain from swelling too much.

Three weeks ago, Ledyard got a concussion in another training run. While it’s not obvious how much this will impact his current condition, it certainly doesn’t help

Jacobellis, Vonn Nominees For Sportswoman Of The Year

The two Lindseys were nominated for the 2009 Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year Award.

Jacobellis won her second Snowboardcross World Cup title in 2009, winning 5 of the 9 competitions. She also won her 5th Winter X Games gold medal last winter. She is the most successful Snowboardcross athlete in history.

Lindsey Vonn became the first American woman to win back to back overall World Cup titles. She also went back to back in the downhill. The Minnesota native has 22 career World Cup wins and like Jacobellis is the most successful American in her sport’s history. Vonn also swept gold in the downhill and Super-G events at the Alpine World Championships, which were held this year in France.

Each woman has to be considered the favorite for their respective gold medal, especially if Jacobellis avoids a fall like she had three years ago.