Aimee Fuller admitted she feared for her safety as the gusty weather continued to play havoc with the Winter Olympics programme in Pyeongchang.
Fuller finished 17th in the women’s snowboard slopestyle event after the qualification runs had been cancelled on Sunday, putting all 26 competitors straight through to the final.
But the weather problems prevailed and Fuller considered herself fortunate to escape injury after crashing off her final jump on the course at the Phoenix Snow Park.
This photo just about says it all. Gutted. Not the way I pictured riding in my finals debut. The wind got me good #pyeongchanggust WINDY AS. Sent her as hard as I could, but she, the wind took me! Like riding into a wind tunnel. pic.twitter.com/yrSIVhOx3C
— Aimee Fuller (@aimee_fuller) February 12, 2018
Fuller said: “Conditions today were definitely a challenge. It was for sure not what I dreamed of for an Olympic final, but it is what it is and I’m lucky to be in one piece right now.”
The conditions forced the 26-year-old to take evasive action during the first of her two runs which scored 34.62, before a more ambitious second routine earned 41.43 despite her crash off the last jump.
“There were huge gusts of wind – I’ve decided to call it the ‘Pyeongchang Gust’,” added Fuller. “It is the final, but you’ve got to think about your welfare as well.
Also on Monday, the weather accounted for the women’s giant slalom for the second consecutive day, while the men’s downhill, scheduled for last Sunday, will now take place on Thursday.
The International Olympic Committee insisted athlete safety was the priority and pointed to the numerous contingency days available for rescheduling events.
Adams said: “The competition is run by the International Ski Federation. They know their athletes and they know the conditions they work in.
“The safety of the athletes is the number one priority for us. We have time. There are reserve days. There is plenty of time to get all the competition in.”
