Sarah Burke, Winter X Games champion was 29

Burke, the 29-year-old freeskier from Canada who suffered a head injury and brain damage during a Jan. 10 training run on the superpipe at Park Mountain Resort in Utah, died this morning. Her organs and tissues were donated in accordance with her wishes. Burke was considered a favorite to medal at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, after persuading the Olympics to add freeskiing to the games. More information on her Facebook page.

Olympics catch-up note: Angela Ruggiero, winner of four Olympic medals with the U.S. hockey team, retired from the sport in December to devote more time to her role as an athlete's representative on the International Olympic Committee and on the board of the U.S. Olympic Committee. Ruggiero, from Simi Valley, was a three-time most valuable player of her team at Harvard and spent a season on TV's "The Apprentice."

Burke: Pete Thomas Outdoor.com; Ruggiero: her website.