Music: {allcanada} Olympic speedskater Morrison fractures femur

Friday, May 8, 2015

{allcanada} Olympic speedskater Morrison fractures femur

CALGARY — Four-time Olympic speedskating medallist Denny Morrison suffered a femur fracture and other non-life-threatening injuries on Thursday night after a motorcycle accident.

Morrison, from Fort St. John, B.C., suffered a clean fracture through the middle of his femur and will need an operation for the placement of a metal rod to stabilize the bone.

"At this moment, our thoughts are with Denny and his family", said Speed Skating Canada's high performance director Brian Rahill. "Under the supervision of our head doctor Victor Lun, we know that Denny is in the care of the best medical professionals.

"It is premature at this point to determine what will come next, as well as the duration of his convalescence. However, knowing Denny's determination, we know he will do everything possible to be back on his feet as soon as possible."

Morrison is at Calgary's Foothills Hospital orthopedic trauma surgery department, which is in communication with Canadian speedskating team head doctor Victor Lun.

He has won four Olympic medals in long-track speedskating, including one gold (2010) and one silver (2006) in the team pursuit event.

At the 2014 Sochi Games, he won silver in the 1,000 metres and bronze in the 1,500. This season, he finished first in the overall World Cup rankings in those two events. He also won silver medals in the 1,500 metres and the team pursuit events at the world single distance championships.

This is not the first time Morrison has suffered a serious injury off the speed-skating track. He broke his left fibula while cross-country skiing in December of 2012.