Sad news in the sports world.
Professional free skier C.R. Johnson has passed away.
The 26-year-old fell while skiing at California’s Squaw Valley yesterday.
According to reports, Johnson fell face first and then spun around before hitting the back of his head on several rocks! And despite wearing a helmet at the time, the impact was just too much, causing him to die on the slopes.
Olympic Alpine medalist Julia Mancuso even dedicated her last run in the Olympics this Thursday to Johnson.
Mancuso stated on her blog:
“These 2010 Olympics are almost done for me. This last run is for CR Johnson. Gonna rip it for you!!! CR was in Salt Lake City at my first Olympics, cheering for me. I know your here now and with everyone when they ski and push their limits. RIP.”
Back in 2005, Johnson suffered a serious injury when he ended up in a coma for 10 days after another skier accidentally landed on him during a run.
Johnson spent 34 days in the hospital and several months in rehab, but that didn’t stop him from doing what he loved.
So sad.
[Image via AP Images.]