A young and promising Italian skier has died after a fall during a training session, it was announced. Matilde Lorenzi, 19, was skiing on the Grawand G1 slope in Val Senales when the accident happened, as reported by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Tributes have been pouring in from the time news of Lorenzi's tragic death broke.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Matilde Lorenzi," the organization said in a heartbreaking post. "FIS joins FISI [Italian Winter Sports Federation] President Flavio Roda and the entire Italian winter sports community in mourning, including coaches, athletes, teammates, the federal council, and all FISI staff," the statement further added.
Tragic Fall to Death
According to an AP report, Lorenzi was airlifted to a hospital in Bolzano by helicopter but later died. Last year, the young skier was crowned Italy's junior overall and Super-G champion. She finished sixth in downhill skiing and eighth in super-G at the junior world championships.
Lorenzi was also a sports soldier in the Italian army, with the defense ministry announcing her death online.
Olympic skiing gold medalist Lindsey Vonn was among those who paid tribute to young skier, posting on Instagram, "Prayers are with her family, what a loss."
One Tragedy after Tragedy
This isn't the first time such an incident has happened. Lorenzi's accident comes just a few months after World Cup skier Jean Daniel Pession and his girlfriend, Elisa Arlian, tragically fell over 2,000 feet off a mountain in Italy, resulting in their deaths.
The couple were reportedly hiking on Mount Zerbion, a well-known Alpine destination for skiers in the Aosta Valley.
A rescue team was deployed to locate Pession, 28, and Arlian, a 26-year-old ski instructor and teacher, after they did not return home.
Firefighters and helicopters were sent to the scene, and reports indicate that hours later, their bodies were found covered in snow. They are believed to have fallen approximately 2,300 feet from near the summit.
"A terrible tragedy strikes the world of winter sports and speed skiing in particular," a statement from the Italian Winter Sports Federation had said at the time.
