Markus Schairer falls during snowboard cross, suffers fractured vertebra

Austrian Markus Schairer, who competes in snowboard cross, suffered a fracture of the fifth cervical vertebra during a fall in a quarterfinal heat Thursday at the Pyeongchang Olympics.

The Austrian Olympic Committee said Schairer, 30, was in stable condition and didn't suffer any neurological issues.

Schairer, a three-time Olympian, got high off a jump and landed on his back with such force that his goggles flew off. He lay on his back for a few minutes before getting up.

In an earlier run Thursday, Schairer also injured his elbow.

The Austrian Olympic Committee said Schairer would return to Austria for additional evaluation and treatment.

Schairer has come back from previous injuries. In December 2013, he tore four ligaments in his left shoulder in a fall during training, according to his Olympic biography. He also broke five ribs in a fall in January 2010 at the Winter X Games in Aspen.

He ruptured a ligament in his knee in February 2008.