Snowboarder Danny Davis, a U.S. Olympic hopeful in the halfpipe discipline, suffered a back injury Sunday while practicing at a private facility in Park City, Utah.
At least two action sports websites have reported the news, with sparse details, and according to my sources confirmation--without much detail--will soon be posted on Davis' Facebook page.
Davis has been hospitalized but it remains unclear whether the injury is serious enough to keep him Michigan athlete out of the Olympics, which begin Feb. 12 in Vancouver. If he cannot compete it represents a blow to the United States' hopes for Olympic halfpipe dominance, but also to U.S. snowboarding.
Davis, 21, who is second to defending-Olympic champion Shaun White in qualifying for a spot on the U.S. team, is a popular figure. He's also a close friend of Kevin Pearce, who remains hospitalized with a severe brain injury suffered Dec. 31, while he practiced in Park City for an Olympic qualifier at Mammoth Mountain in California's Eastern Sierra region (Davis won the event).
Pearce, who is recovering, had been tabbed as an Olympic gold-medal contender. Davis, likewise, possesses the talent to win on the highest level. But for now, a positive medical report would be worth its weight in gold.
-- Pete ThomasPhoto of Danny Davis courtesy of Burton
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