World champion snowboarder ruled out of Winter Olympics after knee surgery

Canadian world champion slopestyle snowboarder Liam Brearley is set to miss the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics after undergoing knee surgery.

The 22-year-old sustained injuries to both his knee and ankle during training sessions in November.

Brearley confirmed the news in an Instagram post, expressing his profound disappointment.

"After exploring every option, I've had to undergo knee surgery that unfortunately takes me out of the upcoming season and the Olympic Games," he wrote.

"Competing on that stage has been a lifelong dream, and missing it hurts more than I can put into words."

The 2026 Games would have marked Brearley's Olympic debut, a berth he secured automatically by winning slopestyle gold at the world championships in Switzerland in March. Despite the setback, he remains resolute about his future in the sport.

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"I know setbacks are part of the journey," Brearley added. "The focus now is recovery and coming back stronger than before. I'm not going anywhere, and I'm more motivated than ever."

Brearley is not the only high-profile name to be missing the Winter Games, which run from February 6-22 next year.

Two-time Olympic snowboarding champion Lindsey Jacobellis has also confirmed she will not be competing after recently giving birth to her daughter, Ayla.

Jacobellis will instead provide expert analysis for NBC from the commentary booth.

Explaining her decision, Jacobellis said: "I sat down with my agent, my husband, we weighted the pros and cons.

"I am a competitor and I do like to compete but competition could potentially always be there. And these early years with my daughter, those are limited. I had to make a decision. Those decisions are hard. Being an adult is hard."

Jacobellis insisted she has not retired from competing yet, but wants to simply focus on prioritizing her family for now following the birth of her daughter.