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Some of the worst wipeouts of the Winter Olympics so far

The Winter Olympics is full of skilled athletes pulling off spectacular feats, winning gold and glory for their countries.

But it doesn't always go quite so smoothly — competing on hard ice and snow can take its toll, breaking bones and tearing ligaments.

Here are some of the worst injuries from this year in Pyeongchang.

Aimee Fuller

Team GB's Aimee Fuller suffered two slip-ups in her quest for big air glory.

Her first fall in the qualifying round saw her place second last after failing to make a jump.

But her second time did not end better — after attempting to land a jump, her board dug into the snow, launching her face-first into the ground.

The English snowboarder posted a photo of her injuries, saying she "took one to the grill".

External Link: Aimee Fuller's tweet: Took 1 to the grill

Markus Schairer

Kalle Koblet of Switzerland, Kevin Hill of Canada and Markus Schairer of Austria crash in Pyeongchang.

Austrian snowboarder Markus Schairer was forced to return home for treatment after he broke a bone in his neck during a fall in the men's snowboard cross.

The 30-year-old fell heavily when trying to land a jump in the quarter finals, causing his head to snap back and strike the snow, and his goggles to go flying off.

He remained on the ground for a few moments before getting to his feet and finishing his ride down the hill.

Schairer was taken to hospital where tests showed he had fractured the fifth cervical vertebrae in his neck, the Austrian Olympic Committee (AOC) said in a statement.

The AOC added there was no "neurological impairment and consequential damage can be ruled out".

Mons Roisland

Snowboarder Mons Roisland is taken away in an ambulance after his crash.

Norwegian snowboarder Mons Roisland broke his chest bone and tore ligaments in his shoulder in what he described "the heaviest crash" of his life, prior to the finals.

In a later Instagram post, he said while it "sucks not being able to compete in big air", he was happy to home and recovering.

Katie Ormerod

External Link: Katie Ormerod's tweet: After dreaming of competing at the Olympics for years, I got there and received the most bad luck I’ve ever had!

Team GB medal hope Katie Ormerod suffered broken bones before the Games even began.

On her first training day on the freestyle snowboarding course, she slipped off a rail and fractured her wrist.

Despite the injury, she said she was "all good and looking forward to continuing to train and to competing".

Unfortunately, she then "severely" broke her heel into two pieces, forcing her into surgery.

She posted on Twitter to say she was "absolutely gutted".

Ronja Savolainen

Ronja Savolainen is helped by her teammates on the ice after her crash.

Finnish ice hockey player Ronja Savolainen was playing against the United States when she suffered a painful knee collision with an opponent, before sliding head-first into the side of the rink.

The Team Finland trainer immediately went to her aid, as the 20-year-old lay on her back on the ice clutching her head.

"Savolainen is taking far too much time for this just to be a knock, this is looking serious," the concerned commentator said.

Although she was helped off the ice, she returned in the second period, but her team was unable to stop the US' win of 5-0.

ABC/Reuters

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