25 Facts About Sarah Burke

Sarah Jean Burke was a Canadian freestyle skier who was a pioneer of the superpipe event.

Sarah Burke was a five-time Winter X Games gold medallist, and won the world championship in the halfpipe in 2005.

Sarah Burke successfully lobbied the International Olympic Committee to have the event added to the Olympic program for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Sarah Burke was considered a medal favourite in the event.

Sarah Burke was considered a pioneer in the sport of superpipe skiing, along with American Kristi Leskinen.

Sarah Burke won first place in the 2001 US Freeskiing Open in the half-pipe event and finished second in slopestyle.

In 2004, Sarah Burke lobbied ESPN to include a division for women skiers at its Winter X Games.

Sarah Burke is a four-time Winter X Games gold medallist in freestyle skiing.

Sarah Burke was the first woman ever to land a jump with 1080-degree rotation in competition.

Sarah Burke won ESPN's 2001 Award for female skier of the year and was voted 2007's Best Female Action Sports Athlete at the ESPY awards.

Sarah Burke regularly participated in skiing films, including Propaganda, in which she showcased her skills by sliding rainbow rails, spinning a 540 in the pipe and throwing back-flips.

Sarah Burke was a known promoter of the superpipe skiing event, working to have it added to the Olympic program.

Sarah Burke failed to have the event added in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but successfully lobbied the International Olympic Committee to have the slopestyle and halfpipe events added for the 2014 Sochi Games.

Sarah Burke met freeskier Rory Bushfield when she was 14 at a ski camp in Whistler, British Columbia.

On January 10,2012, Sarah Burke was seriously injured while training on the Park City Mountain Resort Eagle superpipe in Park City, Utah.

Onlookers reported that Sarah Burke had completed a trick fairly well yet fell onto her head, and the accident did not appear to be very severe.

Sarah Burke was resuscitated and airlifted to the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, where she was reported to have been placed in a medically induced coma.

Sarah Burke died of her injuries on January 19,2012.

On February 23,2014, Sarah Burke's ashes were spread in the mountains over Sochi, Russia, during the 2014 Olympic Games.

In 2006, Sarah Burke was inducted into the Midland Sports Hall of Fame.

On June 12,2012, the Canadian Olympic Committee announced that Sarah Burke was inducted into the 2012 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame for her role in advocating ski halfpipe's inclusion in the Olympic program.

In 2014, Sarah Burke was posthumously inducted into the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Sarah Burke was honoured on National Flag of Canada Day on February 15,2014.

On October 17,2016, Sarah Burke was part of the class inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel.

On October 21,2022, Sarah Burke was inducted into the Springwater Sports Hall of Fame.