American snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis tore the ACL in her left knee while practicing for the 2012 Winter X Games on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Colin Bane. The 26-year-old crashed on the final landing of the Snowboarder X course at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado.
Medical staff at the games confirmed to the media that Jacobellis will not participate in the qualifying event, preventing her from competing. She could have become the first female athlete in Winter X Games history to claim five consecutive gold medals after winning the event each year from 2008 to 2011.
It's an unfortunate situation for one of the sport's best female athletes. Among the snowboarders that are expected to compete for gold at the Snowboarder X event include Canada's Maelle Ricker, France's Deborah Anthonioz and Alaska's Callan Chythlook-Sifsof.
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