A frightening crash by Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin overshadowed the final training for the men’s World Cup downhill on Saturday (11:30 a.m.) in Bormio, Italy.
Last year’s 30-year-old 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. The training was interrupted several times due to many falls.
The French Ski Association announced on Friday afternoon that Sarrazin had suffered a “subdural hematoma”, i.e. bleeding between two meninges, as a result of the fall. He is “currently in the neurological intensive care unit.” Sarrazin himself was conscious throughout after his fall.
The Frenchman had achieved the best time in the first training session on Thursday and was once again setting the fastest time until his spectacular crash.
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.
Odermatt complains about conditions
The Stelvio is considered one of the most challenging downhill slopes in the World Cup. “It is the most difficult route with the most difficult conditions,” said overall World Cup winner Marco Odermatt (Switzerland) after his ride on “Eurosport”.
The Canadian Cameron Alexander was fastest in the final training. The best-placed German was Simon Jocher in 10th place. There will also be a Super-G in Bormio on Sunday (11:30 a.m.).
Lena Dürr has the best chance of a top German ranking before the turn of the year. The Munich native will start in both races in Semmering, Austria, at the weekend; after the giant slalom on Saturday (10:00 a.m./1:00 p.m.), her special discipline Slalom will follow there on Sunday (10:30 a.m./1:30 p.m.).
The 33-year-old third-place finisher in the 2023 World Cup is third in the overall World Cup rankings after finishing third, fifth and fourth in the three goal runs so far this season.
The DSV squads for the World Cup races this weekend:
Women, giant slalom: Emma Aicher, Fabiana Dorigo, Lena Dürr, Jana Fritz; Slalom: Aicher, Dürr, Jessica Hilzinger
Men, downhill and super-G: Romed Baumann, Simon Jocher, Luis Vogt, Maximilian Schwarz.