Photo:Wang Song/Xinhua via Getty
Wang Song/Xinhua via Getty
Olympic ski jumper Patrick Gasienica has died at age 24.
The Illinois native suffered fatal injuries after his motorcycle crashed Monday night in Bull Valley, a suburb northwest of Chicago,according to the Associated Press.
USA Nordic alsoconfirmed Gasienica’s deathin a news release.
“Patrick was an incredible competitor, teammate and friend,“USA Nordic wroteon Twitter.
The Olympian, who competed at the Beijing Olympics, was riding his motorcycle shortly before 5:30 p.m. Monday when the bike slid off the roadway and Gasienica was ejected,according to theLake & McHenry County Scanner.
Gasienica was transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry where he was pronounced dead about an hour later, per the newspaper.
He died as a result of blunt force trauma, the McHenry County Coroner’s Office said,according to NBC Sports Chicago. Toxicology results are pending.
Gasienica grew up in the area and began his ski jumping career at the Norge Ski Club, about 40 miles northwest of Chicago.
Maja Hitij/Getty
He made his FIS Ski Jumping debut in 2015, and represented the United States at two FIS Junior World Ski Championships in 2016 and 2017, as well as the 2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, according to USA Nordic.
In Beijing, Gasienica placed 49th and 53rd in individual events, and was 10th in a team competition with Casey Larson, Kevin Bickner and Decker Dean, his American teammates.
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source: people.com
