IT WAS GUST TOO DANGEROUS

Cross-winds cause havoc in snowboard & Fuller admits: I’m just happy to be in 1 piece

AIMEE FULLER admitted she feared for her safety as her Olympic ambitions were blown away by wild weather in Pyeongchang.

Just days after seeing team-mate Katie Ormerod suffer two broken bones in the space of 24 hours, Fuller was left devastated and gutted by the lottery conditions.

“You’ve got to think about your welfare and I’m just happy to be in one piece,” she said.

“My insides feel on my outside and I’m absolutely devastated. That was a tough day at the office, some of the roughest conditions I’ve ridden in.”

Strong cross-winds played havoc with the delayed final of the women’s snowboard slopestyle event, with many questioning the decision to go ahead.

Only five of the 25 riders completed the first run without a fall and none of the competitors could boast two error-free runs.

Austrian favourite Anna Gasser was left fuming, accusing organisers of pressurising the athletes to compete and claiming rivals were in tears at being forced to try their tricks in “dangerous conditions”.

Fuller (below) finished 17th, a repeat of her performance in Sochi four years ago, but admitted the conditions were too difficult to showcase the sport to a world audience.

She abandoned a jump on her first run because of gusting conditions and fell heavily late in her second run.

“It was not what I wanted, not what I expected and not what I dreamed of for my Olympic final,” she added.

“There were huge gusts of wind. My board was like a sail, it was being ripped from under my feet.

“Some people got lucky but I didn’t. If you got a drop in the wind you could get through and have a cruisy run.

“I’m happy to see everyone’s in one piece. Looking at the longrange forecast this was the best day to do it but it wasn’t the best day for our sport. I don’t know whether I would say it wasn’t safe but it was definitely tricky.”

Several events fell victim to the windy conditions, including yesterday’s women’s giant slalom. But organisers say they have no concerns, with plenty of reserve days in the schedule.