Italian skier Elena Fanchini has died of cancer at the age of 37. This has been confirmed by the Italian ski federation FISI. Fanchini was already diagnosed with a tumor at the beginning of 2018. That cost her participation in the Pyeongchang Olympics.
“At the end of a serious illness, Elena Fanchini passed away in her hometown of Solato,” the FISI said in a brief statement. The nature of the cancer was not disclosed.
Fanchini won silver in the downhill at the 2005 World Ski Championships. In the World Cup she reached the podium four times in the downhill, with two victories: in 2005 in Lake Louise in Canada and four years later in Cortina d’Italy. Ampezzo. But she was frequently hampered by injuries, especially to her knees that seemed “made of glass,” she sometimes said.
After missing the 2018 Games and having the tumor removed, she suffered a serious fall in training later that year, suffering a broken finger, fractured fibula and severe bruising to the left knee. There was no return to the track.
Last month, her compatriot Sofia Goggia dedicated a victory in Cortina to Fanchini who, she said, “had a difficult time”.
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