Sarah Burke was remembered here in the women’s freeskiing halfpipe competition. The Canadian pioneer of her sport also came here.
Canadian halfpipe coach Trennon Paynter, a close friend of Burke and her husband, Rory Bushfield, spread her ashes in the Sochi Mountains. Paynter said that he spread them in the village of Rosa Khutor, in the halfpipe and at the highest point in the mountains.
“This event had Sarah at the core of it in so many ways,” Paynter stated..
Sarah Burke died on Jan. 19, 2012 at the age of 29, as the result of fatal injuries sustained in a training crash. Since her death, the freeskiing community has celebrated her contribution to the sport, not least of which includes her campaign to get it included in the Olympics.
Numerous athletes paid tribute to Burke during the Sochi Games:
· During the competition, athletes, the announcer and even the slippers recognized Burke for her many contributions.
· Silver medalist Marie Martinod of France painted snowflakes on her finger nails in honor of Burke, who had a tattoo of one on her foot. It’s not a symbol for The Sarah Burke Foundation.
· Burke’s Canadian teammate Rosalind Groenewoud tapped her helmet where she would normally have the Sarah sticker skiers have been wearing for the past two years. International Olympic Committee rules prohibit the addition of any additions to the athletes’ uniforms.
· France’s Anais Caradeux mouthed, “I love you Sarah” as she awaited her score.
· Announcer Chris Ernst gave a history of Burke’s contribution to the growth of the sport before the competition started, saying, and “This night is dedicated to her entirely.”
· After the event ended, with American Maddie Bowman winning gold, the slippers came down the pipe in the shape of a heart in Burke’s honor.
Bushfield said that he had previously scattered some of Burke's ashes in Ontario as well as on a beach in Hawaii this past Christmas.
"She's all over the place, adventuring around the world, as she should be," Paynter said. "I know she's up there, very stoked."
“This event had Sarah at the core of it in so many ways,” Paynter stated..
Sarah Burke died on Jan. 19, 2012 at the age of 29, as the result of fatal injuries sustained in a training crash. Since her death, the freeskiing community has celebrated her contribution to the sport, not least of which includes her campaign to get it included in the Olympics.
Numerous athletes paid tribute to Burke during the Sochi Games:
· Silver medalist Marie Martinod of France painted snowflakes on her finger nails in honor of Burke, who had a tattoo of one on her foot. It’s not a symbol for The Sarah Burke Foundation.
· Burke’s Canadian teammate Rosalind Groenewoud tapped her helmet where she would normally have the Sarah sticker skiers have been wearing for the past two years. International Olympic Committee rules prohibit the addition of any additions to the athletes’ uniforms.
· France’s Anais Caradeux mouthed, “I love you Sarah” as she awaited her score.
· Announcer Chris Ernst gave a history of Burke’s contribution to the growth of the sport before the competition started, saying, and “This night is dedicated to her entirely.”
· After the event ended, with American Maddie Bowman winning gold, the slippers came down the pipe in the shape of a heart in Burke’s honor.
Bushfield said that he had previously scattered some of Burke's ashes in Ontario as well as on a beach in Hawaii this past Christmas.
"She's all over the place, adventuring around the world, as she should be," Paynter said. "I know she's up there, very stoked."
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