Sarah Burke, a four-time X-Games champion, has passed away from injuries sustained during a training run last week. She was 29.
The Canadian crashed in Park City, Utah on January 10 and, according to reports, fell into cardiac arrest soon after. She was airlifted to a hospital and underwent surgery to repair a tear in a significant artery before being placed in a medically-induced coma on life support.
But it was all too much and Burke lost her battle earlier today due to a lack of oxygen to her brain, doctors said. She was surrounded by family and friends when she died and donated her organs and tissues. Sarah is survived by her husband of two years, skier Rory Bushfield.
“Sarah, in many ways, defines the sport,” said Peter Judge, the CEO of Canada’s freestyle team, prior to her 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.”