Canadian snowboarder, Maelle Ricker, expected to medal at the Sochi Olympics, has been sidelined by a wrist injury.

The defending Olympic snowboard cross champion was injured during a training session Tuesday in Aspen, Colo. Although the extent of the injury won't be made public until later Wednesday, Ricker has been scheduled for surgery.

Luckily for Canadian sports fans, Snowboard Canada is optimistic Ricker will have "every opportunity to join Team Canada in Sochi."

"While the timing of this injury is very unfortunate, we know that Maelle is an incredibly resilient athlete that has battled back from several injuries over her career to accomplish great things for Canada," Canada Snowboard executive director Steven Hills said.

Ricker, 35, became the first Canadian woman to win Olympic gold on home soil when she claimed top spot in the women's snowboard cross event at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010.

The North Vancouver, B.C., native also competed in the Nagano (1998) and Turin (2006) Olympics.

Source: http://www.torontosun.com