Elias Lajunen injury update: Finnish skier involved in scary crash during Olympic big air qualifying

Athletes routinely put their bodies on the line at the Winter Olympics, and that is certainly true of skiers regardless of the event.

During Sunday's freeski big air qualifying runs, 18-year-old Finnish skier Elias Lajunen suffered the fate every skier knows is possible when he was knocked out of the competition by a violent crash. 

The crash left Lajunen face down as he reached the bottom of the landing area, as fans held their breath in hopes the impact wasn't as bad as it first appeared.

Here's what you need to know about Lajunen and his condition after a crash ended his day.

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Elias Lajunen injury update

Fortunately, Lajunen was conscious after the crash and even gave the crowd a thumbs-up as he was tended to by medical staff. Medics rushed over to Lajunen as soon as he crashed. 

lajunen Elias sembra stia bene.
Aspettiamo le condizioni nei prossimi giorni.
Solo 18 anni
Che paura!#MilanoCortinaOlympics2026 #FreestyleSkiing pic.twitter.com/2PmcXao5BV

No other details on Lajunen's condition have been released. He did not participate in the and third qualifying runs of Sunday's freeski big air competition as he received medical attention, but fans were relieved to see the 18-year-old conscious, sitting up and even signaling that he was feeling alright after the violent landing.

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Elias Lajunen crash

Lajunen couldn't complete his final rotation during Sunday's freeski big air qualification run and appeared to land hard on his back.

Lajunen slid down the ice face-down and laid motionless for a few seconds before medical staff made their way over to check him out. While the crash looked violent, Lajunen was able to sit up on his own and signaled to the crowd that he was going to be alright.

Who is Elias Lajunen?

Lajunen is only 18 years old and was making his Olympic debut.

Born in Finland, Lajunen competed in the 2025 world championships, finishing 31st in freeski slopestyle competition and 32nd in freeski big air.

Lajunen participated in slopestyle qualification earlier in these Olympics but did not qualify for the medal round, finishing 18th with only 12 skiers advancing. By crashing out of Sunday's qualification, Lajunen won't have the chance to walk away from the Olympics with a medal — but he was fortunate just to walk away from the scene after such a hard landing.