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American sailor injured by propellor

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A U.S. sailor has been injured by a motorboat propeller in Athens, Greece, while training for the Athens 2002 Regatta.

Kimberley Birkenfeld, 37, needed surgery after the accident at 11 a.m. local time on Thursday, said a U.S. team statement. The extent of her injury is not known.

Fred Hagedorn, Olympic Sailing Committee Chairman and team leader for the Regatta said: "Birkenfeld has undergone surgery and we are in close contact with her family. Our thoughts are with her and our focus is on her recovery."

Birkenfeld, a later-comer to sailing, has competed as a Mistral sailor in Miami, Florida, and Myrtle Creek, Oregon, in the past two U.S. Olympic trials. She finished third in 2000 behind three-time Olympian Lanee Butler and Cara Reid.