Italian Skier Matteo Franzoso Dies At Age Of 25 After Training Crash In Chile

The Italian skier Matteo Franzoso has died astatine nan property of 25 pursuing a clang during pre-season training successful Chile astatine nan weekend, his country’s wintertime sports federation (FISI) has confirmed.

After suffering “a awesome caput trauma” successful nan mishap astatine nan La Parva way connected Saturday, Franzoso was taken by chopper to nan intensive attraction portion of a session successful Santiago and placed successful an induced coma. The FISI confirmed connected Monday that he did not retrieve aft “cranial trauma” and a consequent swelling of his brain.

“It is simply a calamity for nan family and for our sport,” nan FISI president Flavio Roda said successful a connection connected Monday. “It is perfectly basal to do everything imaginable to guarantee that specified episodes do not hap again.”

“At this sad and achy time, I want to show each athletes and coaches, successful each sports, that nan federation is by their broadside and that they will find each nan support they need,” Roda added. “I inquire for nan utmost respect for Matteo’s family, whom we will guidelines by for arsenic agelong arsenic necessary.”

Franzoso collapsed done 2 layers of information fencing and deed different type of obstruction positioned six to 7 metres extracurricular nan course, nan FISI said. He is nan 2nd elite Italian skier to dice successful a training incident wrong nan past year, aft the decease of inferior champion Matilde Lorenzi astatine Val Senales successful October 2024.

A portion of Italy’s World Cup squad since 2021, Franzoso was training alongside different Italian skiers including Dominik Paris, Christof Innerhofer and Mattia Casse successful Chile. The squad are preparing to title connected location snowfall astatine nan Milan-Cortina Olympics successful February, but those preparations person now been marked by tragedy.

The US skier and Olympic golden medallist Lindsey Vonn posted a achromatic and achromatic image of Franzoso connected Instagram. “This is incredibly sad,” Vonn wrote. “I was skiing this nonstop slope 3 weeks agone … RIP Matteo. My sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.”

Franzoso made 17 World Cup appearances and vanished 28th successful nan Super-G arena astatine nan Olympic big venue, Cortina d’Ampezzo, successful 2023 – his champion capacity astatine alpine skiing’s highest level.

He besides won a super-G title connected nan second-tier Europa Cup circuit successful 2021, having vanished 4th successful nan downhill astatine nan world inferior championships successful 2020.