Sporting fans were left standing in shocked silence after US luger Emily Sweeney lost control of her sled during the women’s final at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Tuesday.
Her mum Sue Sweeney was among the crowd. She cried out, staring in horror at the big screen as she watched her daughter’s ankles hit the railing of the track.
It was her first Winter Olympics appearance and Emily , 24,was travelling at approximately 110km per hour.
Watch Emily Sweeney’s high-speed luge crash in the video below.
The 24-year-old Winter Olympian from Connecticut lost control of her sled around Curve 9, the track’s most dangerous spot, news.com.au reports.
Footage of the crash shows Emily swerving all over the track before sliding feet first up against the roof of the track and being thrown from her sled.
It took several minutes for the stunned crowd to catch a glimpse of movement from Emily. She was able to slowly make her way to the finish line roughly 10 minutes after the crash, surrounded by medical personnel.
Team USA luger Emily Sweeney spun out of control and tumbled to the track. She refused a stretcher and walked away from the crash on her own. #Pyongyang2018 pic.twitter.com/5KwByUoVju
— Alex Ptachick (@alexptachick) 13 February 2018