(Reuters) – Australian skier Matt Graham, who underwent surgery for a broken collarbone last month, improved his chances of competing at next month’s Beijing Olympics after he resumed practice in Brisbane on Thursday.
Graham, who won silver in the moguls at the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018, crashed during a training run in Idre Fjall in Sweden last month ahead of a World Cup event.
But the 27-year-old was back practising jumps at the Geoff Henke Winter Olympic Training Centre in Brisbane as he aims to make his third Olympic appearance.
“It’s bizarre being here in an Australian summer only 22 days out from my Olympic competition, but exciting too,” Graham said in a statement by the Australian Olympic Committee.
“I got surgery four days after the injury, it put a plate there with 13 screws, it’s all bolted together … It’s all come really good in the past seven days and today was the first day giving it its real test.
“I have high expectations of myself and what I want to achieve in Beijing. Having this injury, it’s not ideal but it works in my favour to have all of my experience from previous Games behind me.”
Graham will fly to Ruka, Finland this weekend to rejoin the Australian moguls team for final preparations on snow before the Feb. 4-20 Beijing Games.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Karishma Singh)
