Heidi Kloser tears ACL, out of Sochi
— -- American moguls hopeful Heidi Kloser will not compete in the Sochi Olympics after suffering a leg injury during warm-ups before qualification began Thursday.
Kloser, who stood fourth in the World Cup standings entering the Games, tore knee ligaments and broke her femur following a crash Thursday night, only moments before she was supposed to head to the starting gate.
She suffered a full tear of her anterior cruciate ligament, a partial tear of her medial collateral ligament and an impact bruise to her tibial plateau in her knee, as well as an impact fracture to her femur.
Kloser, 21, had to be helped off the mountain and was taken to the medical clinic in the athletes village for evaluation.
Kloser's father, Mike, said the fall initially did not look out of the ordinary.
Writing later on his Facebook page, he said Heidi asked him if he still considered her an Olympian even though she didn't make it to the starting line in her first games.
"We said, of course she is," Mike Kloser wrote.
American Hannah Kearney, the defending Olympic gold medalist, leads the competition after the first qualifying run.
"I saw an American coach quickly put his skis on and rush down and I thought, 'Oh, no, that's Heidi,' " Kearney said, according to the Denver Post.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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