Skier Sarah Burke Dies

Sad news from the skiing world today: Pioneering freestyler Sarah Burke has died after a fall earlier this month in Utah, reports the Toronto Star. The 29-year-old Canadian had been in a coma for nine days since her crash during a training run at Park City Mountain. Burke, a four-time Winter X Games champion, was a huge figure in her sport and had been expected to contend for gold in the 2014 Olympics. If fact, she was a big reason the superpipe category had been added for the first time, notes AP.

Doctors say Burke suffered "irreversible damage" to the brain when she ruptured an artery in her fall. “She was just the kind of person who gave so much to the sport and transcended the sport in so many ways,” said the CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. “She created a real significance as an athlete and as a representative of female athletes. (In) the greater realm, she'll be deeply missed.” (More Sarah Burke stories.)