Katie Ormerod gutted to miss out on Olympic dream

The 20-year old snowboarder was considered one of Team GB's best medal hopes in PyeongChang, following a succession of podiums at World Cup level.

But two broken bones in the space of 24 hours means she will watch today's opening ceremony from hospital after undergoing surgery on a fractured heel.

"After dreaming of competing at the Olympics for years, I got there and received the most bad luck I've ever had," she said.

"I broke my wrist but was determined to compete, but then I severely broke my heel into two pieces, absolutely gutted."

Ormerod, the youngest girl to land a double backflip on a snowboard, was a medal contender in both the slopestyle and big air events and was due to make her Games debut on Sunday.

But in her short career she has not had the best luck, which perhaps goes with the territory of a sport that pushes boundaries and defies gravity. She missed out on the last Games after injuries curtailed her qualifying season.

And she was ruled out of last year's World Championships after fracturing a vertebra in her back in pre-competition training.

However, she's been backed to bounce back by five-time Olympic medalist Dame Katherine Grainger.

Grainger won three silvers before finally claiming rowing gold at London 2012 and now chairs elite funding agency UK Sport, who have set Team GB a stiff target of between five and ten medals for their £28 million investment.

"Only in time will it sink in what she's missed out on here," she said.

"She's much younger than me and has had more injuries already than I had in my entire career.

"If you handle these things right it can make you a better athlete, it becomes part of your character and you can be better for it. I know she will get past this and come back more enthused in four years time.

"She has always come back stronger from these setbacks in the past and I'm sure she will again."