Germany's Woerner taken off course on stretcher

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia - German skicross racer Anna Woerner was taken off the Olympic course on a stretcher Friday after a nasty fall during her quarterfinal heat.

There was no immediate report on the nature of her injury.

Woerner lost her balance on a jump about halfway down the course, her right knee kicking upward. She slammed to the ground and flipped side-over-side before stopping in the middle of the course.

A medical team worked on her for about 10 minutes before loading her onto a stretcher and taking her off the track.

In a training accident last weekend, Maria Komissarova of Russia fractured her spine on the skicross course. She had emergency surgery at a hospital in the mountains and was later taken to Munich for another operation.