Winter Olympics 2014: Vladimir Putin Visits Injured Russian Skier in Hospital
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Maria Komissarova in a hospital on Saturday after the Olympic skier underwent emergency surgery for a fractured spine.
The 23-year-old remains in "grave but stable" condition on Sunday, following her horrific crash during a training run for the ski cross competition the previous day, Russian officials told the AP. She was later airlifted to a clinic in Germany for further treatment.
Komissarova suffered a fractured 12th dorsal vertebrae in her lower-middle back after falling while exiting the third of a series of jumps near the top of the course.
She was rushed to a hospital near the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park where doctors inserted a metal implant into her spine during an emergency six-and-a-half hour operation, the Russian freestyle ski federation said.
Putin turned up at Komissarova's bedside on Saturday night wearing a white hospital coat. The president "wished her a speedy recovery" and spoke with the skier's father over the phone, telling him "doctors will do everything possible for her recovery," medical staff said in a statement.
"It's (Her condition's) considered satisfactory taking into account the gravity of the trauma," said Mikhail Verzhba, spokesman for the Russian freestyle ski federation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.