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Skiing Star Sarah Burke Dies at the Age of 29
Sarah Burke, who helped to bring superpipe skiing to the Olympics and routinely won in the X Games, died yesterday at the age of 29.
Sarah Burke was a pioneer in the freestyle skiing arena, having become an X Games star and an instrumental figure in moving superpipe into the Olympics. Burke died yesterday after a January 10 crash during a training run left her injured. Noted Peter Judge, CEO of Canada’s freestyle team, "Sarah was the one who, in a very positive way, stood in the face of adversity and asked, 'Why not?' What she would have wanted was for her teammates and others in her sport to stand up and also say, 'Why not?' To benefit from the significant opportunities available to them, being able to compete in the Olympics and the X Games. Those were the things she wanted and cherished and fought for."
Burke was a four-time Winter X Games champion, and crashed during a training run in Park City, Utah a few weeks back. According to a statement released by her publicist, tests after the accident indicated "irreversible damage to her brain due to lack of oxygen and blood after cardiac arrest." The statement also read, "The family expresses their heartfelt gratitude for the international outpouring of support they have received from all the people Sarah touched."
Those who knew Burke have nothing but nice things to say about her, both as a person and a professional. "She's probably one of the nicest people I've known in my life, and that's about the only thing I have to say about it," said superpipe skier Simon Dumont. Jeremy Forster, the program director for U.S. Freeskiing and U.S. Snowboarding, noted that Burke would be remembered "first, as a friend, and then as a competitor who constantly inspired them to do greater things. She was a leader in her sport, and it's a huge loss for the freeskiing community."
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