Austria's Lukas Mueller suffered serious spinal injuries after losing his balance and landing on his back at the giant Bad Mitterndorf slope on Wednesday.

The 2009 junior world ski jumping champion was rushed to hospital at Graz for an emergency operation after a boot strap appeared to fail him.

"It's a serious spinal injury, but we cannot yet measure the consequences," said doctor Ulf Karner after an initial examination.

Images of the spectacular fall show the 23-year-old's left ski becoming detached from his boot, sending him spinning to the ground at the site where the world championships begin on Thursday.

Mueller had not been selected for the January 14-17 world championships, but had been conducting the opening jump.
Source :AFP