Kiwi freestyle skier Jossi Wells is in a race against time to take part in February's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang after undergoing a knee reconstruction on Wednesday.
Wells, a Winter X-Games gold medallist, tore a patella tendon in a training- ground accident, just four months after injuring his other patella in Norway.
He also broke his neck in 2014.
The 27-year-old's rupture will take at least six months to heal, placing his participation in next year's Winter Olympics in jeopardy.
The Wanaka native was nevertheless optimistic, and was even brave enough to post a video of the injury-causing fall on his Instagram on Wednesday.
