Slovenian skier Perko bloodied in downhill crash

Rok Perko of Slovenia, crashed during a training run, leaving blood on his face and in the snow (AP/Gero Breloer).

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — The first starter in the third and last training run for the men’s Olympic downhill, Rok Perko of Slovenia, has crashed, leaving blood on his face and in the snow.

Perko landed awkwardly, with his skis splayed, coming off a little jump about 1 1/2 minutes into his session Saturday, a day before the first Alpine medal race of the Sochi Games. After a few minutes, he got up and walked away.

When Perko fell, his skis detached from his boots and went flying. He slid down the hill, then hunched on his knees and leaned forward, his head resting on his gloves.

The next two starters, Marco Sullivan of the United States and Brice Roger of France, also had problems. Roger fell but appeared OK; Sullivan stayed upright and skied to the finish.

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