Sports
Injury Ends Branford Native Deibold's 2022 Winter Olympics Dream
Snowboarder Alex Deibold, the 35-year-old who grew up in Branford, was injured in Italy last weekend and has had to drop out of games.
BRANFORD, CT — Branford native Alex Deibold, 35, a member of the U.S. Snowboard Team, was injured during a snowboardcross qualifying event in Italy and has withdrawn from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, according to US Ski & Snow & Snowboard.
The 2014 Olympic bronze medal winner, a U.S. Snowboardcross Team member since 2004, was part of five World Championship U.S. snowboard teams, including 2007, 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2021, according to U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
The Branford native, whose family later moved to Vermont, would have left for Beijing next week.
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In a statement reported by NBC, he said he was broken-hearted.
"While I’m grateful to know I’ll have a full recovery in the long run, I am obviously heartbroken to miss the Games," Deibold said in a statement. "I feel pretty lucky to have all this medical staff helping me recover so quickly."
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