Heel break rules out Ormerod

BRITISH medal hope Katie Ormerod is out of the Winter Olympics after fracturing her heel in training. The 20-year-old snowboarder, who became the first Briton to win World Cup gold in the slopestyle last year, fractured her wrist on Wednesday but was desperate to compete in the Games, which start today, and returned to training 24 hours later. However, the British Olympic Association said she will have ‘emergency surgery’ this morning after injuring her heel yesterday. Dan Hunt, performance director for British Ski and Snowboard, said: ‘We are desperately disappointed. Katie was in strong form.’ In her absence, British hopes fall even more heavily on defending skeleton champion Lizzy Yarnold. Team GB’s flagbearer aims to be the first Briton to successfully defend a Winter gold, but said she will give Russian rivals the cold shoulder if their bans are overturned. The disgraced nation are bidding to force another 47 athletes and staff into the Games against the wishes of the International Olympic Committee. The Court of Arbitration for Sport will make their eleventh-hour judgment this morning after a series of legal challenges.