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Robbie Dixon of Canada zooms down the course in training for the Lake Louise Men's World Cup downhill ski race in Lake Louise, Alta. on Thursday November 24, 2011.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

Canadian Alpine Ski Team veteran Robbie Dixon suffered a serious leg injury after crashing during a race in Copper Mountain, Colo., on Thursday, and is due to to have surgery.

Dixon landed after a jump and caught an edge.

He broke the tibia and fibula, the two long bones between the knee and ankle, in his right leg.

No timeframe has been set for Dixon's return but it is expected to be a long-term injury.

The 27-year-old from Whistler, B.C., was taking part in an International Ski Federation race as part of his preparations for the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup., which gets underway in Alberta next week.

"It's a hard one to swallow given how the last couple of years have gone," said Dixon, who battled back from a serious concussion and had been looking forward to getting his 2012-13 World Cup season underway in Lake Louise.

"I caught an edge and one thing led to another. I'm going to stay positive. I'm fortunate to have some pretty amazing teammates who I can call my friends. They're supporting me and I know they've got my back."

The 2010 Olympian racked up 11 top-10 World Cup results and last year came agonizingly close to securing his first podium when he finished fourth in the super-G in Beaver Creek, Colo.

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