Recently retired Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Cate Campbell tore her ACL while skiing in Japan.
“I survived my trip down the mountain. My ACL did not,” Campbell said in the post on Thursday. The injury happened on January 17.
Campbell was skiing on the slopes of Mt. Kenashi west of Tokyo, a 1,964 meter (6,444 ft) mountain, when her right ski got stuck. She heard a “pop” in her knee and had to be picked up by ski patrol, joking that she finished her first black run “in a body bag.”
The bag was actually a stretcher surrounded by a protective fabric, but she joked that it resembled a bag used to transport dead bodies.
“Skiing is great until you find yourself hurtling down the mountain in a body bag,” she said on Instagram.
Several other high profile swimming names chimed in on the post. Her sister and fellow Olympian Bronte Campbell said that “I’m obvs (obviously) glad you’re ok but I’m more glad someone filmed this”; Emma McKeon said that she thought it was a meme when she initially saw it.
Cate Campbell underwent surgery the day after her post.
The 32-year-old announced her retirement from competitive swimming last summer after missing out on a bid to compete in a 5th Olympic Games.
Campbell stayed relatively healthy throughout her swimming career, in part by “avoiding risk,” though she has embraced taking more risks now that she is retired. She had shoulder surgery in November to improve her post-career quality of life, and had nerve damage related to a contraceptive that was placed in her left arm to manage her periods while racing.
I hope she has a speedy recovery!
Well, this story was bound to bring out the Americans.
Nah the beef is over, or at least doesn’t apply here. Anyone that doesn’t suck as a person should be wishing her the best and hoping for a quick and full recovery. It’s easy to forget that ACL tears can be life changing with how often pro athletes recover from them.
Can’t think of a kind way to phrase this but not the most surprising considering this is the swimmer who got hurt by “aggressive napping”
Prayers for a swift recovery.
Nasty piece of work that one
Doing your ACL, yeah horrible.
Hey Summer McIntosh, put down those ski’s. Wait another 15 yrs
Summer definitely needs to see this 😬😂 as well as looking at Sarah’s elbow before Tokyo
Skiing, snowshoeing and ice skating are part of Canada’s DNA.
Sounds taxing
We at least need her until 2028.
That might be hard to do. Of all the recreational sports that I’ve ever done, skiing is the most fun. Bluebird skies, great snow conditions, bombing down the hill at a good ski area is the best!
Not that it matters now
Yet you’re here commenting mate. Clearly mattered enough for you to write something. Bogan
I think he was meaning like, it’s sad, but the high stakes of injury are gone now, as she’s retired
I don’t think that’s what they meant.
Clearly it matters to you.
Had to check to see if Andrew made this post. Yikes, Martini