Italian Ski Racer Matteo Franzoso Passed Away After Training Fall in Chile
It is with heavy hearts that we report Italian ski racer Matteo Franzoso has passed away at 25-years-old after a fall during training on the slopes of La Parva in Chile. Our thoughts are with Matteo’s family, friends, teammates and the entire Italian winter sports community. The Italian Ski Federation issued the following statement about the tragic loss.
Italian Ski Federation Statement:
Matteo Franzoso, a young athlete, passed away in a clinic in Santiago, Chile. Local health officials announced the news, having informed the FISI medical commission and the federal president. The 25-year-old Italian athlete did not recover from the consequences of a head injury and resulting cerebral edema, which occurred after a fall on Saturday during training on the La Parva track, 50 km from the Chilean capital.
Franzoso, who would have turned 26 on September 16, botched the first small jump on the training course, ending up thrown forward toward the fences. He skied over two rows of nets and hit the fence positioned 6-7 meters off the course. Reached immediately by air ambulance, the Italian national team athlete, who grew up skiing in Sestriere, was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit and placed in a medically induced coma. As the hours passed, however, Franzoso’s body could no longer withstand the damage caused by the trauma.
A cheerful, smiling, and kind young man, Franzoso arrived at La Parva on September 6th for the snow training session with fellow sprinters Mattia Casse, Florian Schieder, Guglielmo Bosca, Christof Innerhofer, Benjamin Alliod, Nicolò Molteni, Marco Abbruzzese, and Giovanni Franzoni. They were also joined by Dominik Paris.
At the youth level, Franzoso finished fourth in the downhill at the 2020 Junior World Championships in Narvik. He made his European Cup debut on December 13, 2017, and his first and only victory on the circuit came in the super-G on November 29, 2021, in Zinal, Switzerland. That same season, Franzoso made his World Cup debut on December 17, in the super-G in Val Gardena. He has competed on the senior circuit seventeen times (11 super-Gs and 6 downhills), his best result being 28th place in the super-G in Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 28, 2023. He also won the Italian combined title in 2023. His last World Cup start was in the Norwegian races in Kvitfjell last March.
“This is a tragedy for the family and for our sport. It’s a tragedy that brings us back to the state of mind we had just under a year ago, when Matilde Lorenzi passed away. It’s absolutely essential to do everything possible to ensure that such incidents never happen again. In this sad and painful moment, I want to tell all athletes and coaches, from all sports, that the Federation is by their side and that they will find all the support they need. I ask for the utmost respect for Matteo’s family, whom we will support for whatever is necessary.” -FISI President Flavio Roda
The Federal President, the Federal Council, all athletes, coaches, and staff mourn the untimely passing of Matteo Franzoso and extend their condolences to his family in these times of grief.
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