Denny Morrison, Olympic speed skater, suffers stroke in Utah
4-time Olympic medallist seriously hurt in motorcycle accident last year
Denny Morrison, a four-time Olympic medallist in long track speed skating, tweeted Saturday that he'd "had a stroke" in Utah.
Morrison had just finished biking more than 1,200 kilometres along the Arizona Trail, which runs fromĀ Arizona to Utah. He was spending some free time in Salt City Lake area when the incident occurred, according to Speed Skating Canada.
It is the second time Morrison has been in hospital in less than a year.Ā
Almost a year post accident. And done mountain biking 800 miles across Arizona, I'm back in a Hospital bed again. Had a stroke today šš¼
—@Denny_MorrisonOn Saturday afternoon, his companion, fellow speed skater Josie Spence, noticed signs of a stroke and took him to a nearby hospital. He showed signs of recovery en route to a second hospital, the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah,Ā where he was given a CT scan and MRI. Results showed a brain blood clot and carotid artery dissection, Speed Skating Canada said.
He did not need surgery.
"The doctor suggested that I recovered quickly because I am a very healthy young person," Morrison said in a Speed Skating press release. "I would like to thank everyone for their messages of support, and especially Josie who is with me and who was able to recognize the signs quickly."
Back in hospital
Only 11 months ago Morrison was in the hospital after he sustained serious injuries from a motorcycle accident that almost killed him.
On May 7, 2015, he broke his left femur,Ā had a concussion, punctured a lung, tore an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), fractured a bone near his spine, andĀ bruised his liver and kidneys when his motorcycle hit a left-turning car.
In a piece he wroteĀ for CBC Sports' Player's Own Voice series, MorrisonĀ explained that his brother calls him the luckiest guy he knows.
He managed to return to competition in March, racing in theĀ Canada Cup Olympic Oval Finale in Calgary. He was disqualified from the 1,000 metres there.
The Fort St. John, B.C., native owns four Olympic medals. He won gold in 2010 and silver in 2006 in the team pursuit event, as well as silver at the 2014 Sochi Olympics in the 1,000Ā event and bronze in the 1,500.
With files from Canadian Press