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Snowboarder eyes comeback after breaking neck at Olympics

VIENNA (AP) — The Austrian snowboarder who broke his neck in a frightening crash at the Olympics last week is considering a return to the sport.

"It's the easiest way to get healthy again," Markus Schairer said on Friday about a possible comeback. "But it's way too early to take that decision now."

The 30-year-old Schairer underwent surgery on the fractured fifth vertebrae in his neck in an Austrian hospital on Monday, four days after he slammed into the snow on his back. He lost control in the air on the final jump of the downhill course during the Olympic snowboardcross quarterfinals.