Hector wins Olympic giant slalom, USA's O'Brien 'alert' after scary crash

Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Sweden's Sara Hector won gold, while Team USA skiers Nina O'Brien and Mikaela Shiffrin were disqualified after crashes in the women's giant slalom Monday at the 2022 Winter Games.

O'Brien appeared to sustain major leg injuries as she took a scary tumble down the slope at the Yanqing National Alpine Ski Center, located just north of Beijing. Team USA said she was "alert and responsive" after the crash.

Shiffrin, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, missed a gate due to a fall early in her run, but was not injured.

Hector won the event by .028 second, with a time of 1:55.69. Italy's Federica Brignone won the silver medal with a time of 1:55.97. Switzerland's Lara Gut-Behrami clocked a 1:56.41 to take the bronze.

"I'm so proud, I can't put it into words," the 29-year-old Hector said after the race. "I really tried to push it and give it all I got. It's just amazing." Her combined time was 1:55:69.

Shiffrin, 26, was a favorite in the race as its returning champion, but her goal of becoming the first American alpine skier to win three Olympic gold medals was dashed early Monday with a speed wobble of a ski.

O'Brien's crash occurred during her second run on the slopes. The Team USA skier was nearing her final gate at top speed when she lost her balance.

She then tumbled down the hill and landed in the finish line area. She grabbed her left leg. Her ankle also appeared to be pointed in the wrong direction.

Olympic medical staff members used a stretcher to take O'Brien, 24, off the course.

"We are so heartbroken for Nina," Shiffrin tweeted. "She showed so much heart and fire in her skiing today, and it all got shredded to pieces on the final turn. This sport ... this sport is so [expletive] hard. It's brutal, and it hurts -- far more often than it ever feels good."

Hector is the first Swedish woman to win gold in the event since Pernilla Wiberg won the event in 1992.

The 2022 Winter Games alpine skiing schedule continues with the men's Super-G on Tuesday at the Yanqing National Alpine Ski Center

The women's circuit continues with slalom Run 1 and Run 2 on Wednesday at the same facility. Shiffrin is ranked No. 2 in the world in the slalom, behind Slovakia's Petra Vlhova.