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Casey Puckett suffers setback in skiercross training

The Associated Press
Aspen, CO Colorado
FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2010, file photo, men's Ski Cross final competitors, from right, Casey Puckett of the USA, who placed fourth, Stanley Hayer of Canada, who placed second, and Xavier Kuhn of France, who placed first, race during the World Cup skcrossi event in Les Contamines, France. Puckett's push to make his fifth Olympics is in jeopardy after enduring a severe shoulder injury in France. He finished fourth in a race in France last week, but didn't make it to the bottom in the final because of a nasty crash in which he separated his shoulder from his collarbone. Puckett, the 37-year-old, four-time Olympian in Alpine, came out of retirement to try to make it back to the Olympics in skicross this year. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)
AP | AP

ASPEN – Freestyle skier Casey Puckett of Old Snowmass has had a setback in his recovery from a separated shoulder, but still expects to compete in the Olympics.

Puckett was using the qualifying runs at the Aspen Winter X Games for training Friday when he landed awkwardly on a jump and jammed the shoulder, which was operated on earlier this month.

He hopes the latest setback will only cost him a few days of training and that he will be able to compete when skicross makes its Olympic debut on Feb. 21.



The 37-year-old Puckett has been to four Olympics as an Alpine skier, but is still in search of his first Olympic medal. He retired in 2002 and got into skiercross shortly afterward.

He and another former Alpine skier, Daron Rahlves, make up the U.S. Olympic skiercross team.