French ski racer Cyprien Sarrazin fell violently during downhill training in Bormio. He has to have surgery that evening. According to the French federation, the 30-year-old was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma, a hemorrhage near the brain. He is in the neurological intensive care unit of an Italian hospital.
Last year’s winner was lifted by a wave in the lower section of the notorious Stelvio piste, hit the hard piste from a height of around three meters and flew into the safety net. He had to be transported away in a rescue helicopter. Kyle Negomir (USA) and Josua Mettler (Switzerland) also fell on the treacherous wave, and like Sarrazin, Pietro Zazzi (Italy) also had to be transported elsewhere in the rescue helicopter.
There was anger among the other skiers about the condition of the route. The slope was prepared “really badly,” said Sarrazin’s teammate Nils Allegre at Eurosport. That is not respectful to the athletes. Bormio does not deserve to host the Winter Olympics in February 2026. The alpine men’s races are scheduled to take place on the Stelvio at the event in just over a year.
The route is considered one of the most difficult and dangerous in the World Cup. Swiss superstar Marco Odermatt described it as a “fight for survival”. This year the conditions appear to be particularly challenging. The drivers would hate the transitions from particularly icy to more aggressive sections with artificial snow, explained Odermatt.
Sarrazin caused a sensation last winter and, among other things, won the two downhill runs on the legendary Streif in Kitzbühel. He also triumphed in Bormio. Two men’s races will take place there this weekend – a downhill on Saturday and a super-G on Sunday.
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