Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin suffered a heavy fall on Friday during the second training session before the World Cup downhill in Bormio which he won just a year ago.
Sarrazin, best time in the first training session the day before, lost control of his skis on a terrain movement in the final while he was in the lead at all intermediate points. The 30-year-old skier literally flew off a bump and then bounced violently on the slope, before ending his race in the tarpaulins and protective nets after a long slide.
The Frenchman, 2nd in the final ranking of the Downhill World Cup last winter behind Nidwalden Marco Odermatt and winner of four races that season, was joined by the emergency services. He was then evacuated by helicopter.
In a brief press release, the French Ski Federation first indicated that Sarrazin “was conscious”: “He will carry out examinations”, indicated a spokesperson for the FFS. According to the Eurosport channel, Sarrazin complained of pain in one foot.
Secondly, the FFS communicated that he suffered from a “subdural hematoma” and that he was hospitalized “in neurological intensive care for the moment”.
The third update, at the end of the afternoon, announced that “following additional examinations, as well as the clinical evolution of Cyprien, it was decided in agreement with the Italian surgeons to operate on Cyprien this (Friday) evening to drain the subdural hematoma.
“The track is very icy, with very dark portions in terms of visibility, it’s a big change compared to Val Gardena (editor’s note, station where the last descent took place), we know the dangers of this track,” Valaisan Justin Murisier explained on Eurosport.
A downhill on Saturday and a super-G on Sunday are on the program for the Bormio stage, one of the most difficult tracks on the circuit where the men’s alpine skiing events of the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan Cortina will take place.
Saint-Welsh Josua Mettler fell in the same place
Cyprien Sarrazin is not the only “victim” of the Stelvio, the controversial Bormio track. Like the Frenchman before him, Josua Mettler fell during the second downhill training in the Lombard resort this Friday. Troubling coincidence: the 26-year-old Saint-Gallois – 34th skier to start – fell in the same place as Sarrazin.
Josua Mettler felt “pain in his knee”, communicates Swiss-Ski. The B-frame skier with 25 World Cup starts was repatriated to Switzerland, where he will carry out more in-depth examinations.
Besides Cyprien Sarrazin and Josua Mettler, a third athlete fell on the same day in Bormio: Pietro Zazzi. The Italian was also evacuated by helicopter. He suffered an open fracture of the tibia and fibula of his right leg. His season is already over.
On the women’s side, Andrea Ellenberger was seriously injured following a fall in training this Friday in Obdach (Austria), on the eve of the giant slalom in Semmering. The 31-year-old Nidwalden was repatriated to Switzerland to undergo medical examinations and find out the exact nature of her injury.
