Liu Jiayu injured in scary Olympic halfpipe fall during Milan-Cortina qualifying

Chinese snowboarder Liu Jiayu was taken from the venue on a stretcher after a heavy crash in women’s halfpipe qualifying at the 2026 Winter Olympics on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026. The incident halted competition for several minutes in Livigno, Italy, and immediately raised questions about her status heading into the final, scheduled for Thursday night ET.

Liu, a veteran of multiple Olympic cycles and a medalist in the event, fell late in her run and remained down as medical staff attended to her before transporting her to an on-site medical center. As of Wednesday afternoon ET, no detailed public medical update had been confirmed.

What happened in the run

The fall occurred during qualifying when Liu lost control near the end of her attempt and crashed hard into the halfpipe. Competition paused while she was assessed and stabilized. Officials did not provide a detailed diagnosis on site, and organizers did not publicly confirm whether she would undergo additional evaluation or imaging beyond the initial treatment.

The uncertainty matters because women’s halfpipe is typically decided by a small margin at the top, and qualifying day is often when athletes fine-tune risk, amplitude, and landing consistency ahead of finals.

What is confirmed so far

• Liu was injured during women’s snowboard halfpipe qualifying on Feb. 11, 2026, in Livigno, Italy.

• Medical staff treated her on the snow and transported her away from the pipe on a stretcher/rescue sled.

• The session was interrupted for roughly several minutes while she received care.

• A detailed health update and her availability for Thursday’s final had not been publicly confirmed by Wednesday afternoon ET.

Why this is a major storyline

Liu is one of the most accomplished halfpipe riders in China’s program, with a long track record at the highest level. A crash on qualifying day is not only a personal setback; it can also reshape the competitive field, because the event’s top contenders often push progression on finals day, and experienced riders like Liu help set the technical bar.

Her injury also lands in a moment when the women’s halfpipe field is deep, with multiple athletes capable of posting finals-winning scores if they cleanly land high-difficulty runs. Removing even one established contender can change the pace and strategy of the final, including what tricks rivals choose to attempt.

The qualification picture after the stoppage

Qualifying continued after the delay, and the top end of the leaderboard was led by a strong early statement from the leading qualifier, who posted a 90.25 and advanced comfortably to the final. The qualification results underscored a familiar pattern in halfpipe: one big, clean run can force others to decide between playing it safe to advance or pushing harder to chase podium-level momentum.

For athletes advancing to Thursday night’s final ET, the focus now shifts to managing fatigue and nerves, dialing in speed and wall hits, and balancing risk—especially in a venue where visibility, snow texture, and pipe maintenance can subtly change feel across sessions.

What to watch next

The next key development is a clear medical update on Liu’s condition. In similar incidents, teams often wait until athletes complete a full evaluation before confirming whether they can compete again. Even if an athlete avoids fractures, impacts involving the head, neck, back, or shoulder can still trigger precautionary protocols that delay return-to-play decisions.

Beyond Liu’s status, watch for two practical signals heading into finals:

1. whether practice access or warm-up runs are modified for the finalists after the qualifying-day interruption, and

2. whether leading qualifiers attempt to raise difficulty immediately in the final or prioritize clean execution.

If Liu is ruled out, the final may become less about matching a specific rival’s trademark run and more about who can deliver the cleanest high-amplitude set under pressure.

What it means for Liu Jiayu’s Olympic path

At this stage, the most important point is that Liu received prompt medical attention and was transported for evaluation. Any discussion of timelines or severity should wait for confirmed details. Still, the broader reality of halfpipe is that crashes can happen quickly, even for veterans, and the margin between a landed run and a hard fall is often a single edge catch or slightly off-axis rotation.

For now, the story is defined by two questions: what her evaluation finds, and whether she can safely return to competition at these Games.

Sources consulted: Associated Press, Olympics.com, China Daily, South China Morning Post