World Ski Championships, Italy remembers Elena Fanchini with mourning on her arm

MERIBEL. Italy competes with mourning on the arm. The death of Elena Fanchini, the former Italian alpine skier who died of cancer on Wednesday at the age of 37, was a blow to everyone’s heart. The girls are devastated, with Elena many of the athletes of the national team have spent a lifetime and the fatigue of a difficult night can be seen on everyone’s faces. In Meribel there are the second downhill trials, Elena’s favorite specialty. Laura Pirovano arrives, 25 years old in her thirties, she sketches a smile then dissolves into tears: «Sorry, but the state of mind is not the best. I have many, too many pictures of my time with her. As a girl I watched it on TV, admired. Then, in Argentina I split we shared the room together. What was she like? Genuine, a real one. She had many qualities. The most beautiful thing that she passed on to me? The optimism. She has always fought, I too had injuries and I struggled to get back in the race but nothing to do with what she went through: she was a true force of nature ».

Instead, Elena Curtoni does not stop, dark glasses and go: each person faces pain in a personal way. She’s tried. She, one of the veterans of today’s team, has spent years and years with the Fanchini sisters. The group of sprinters was a world apart, very united and cheerful. At her wedding, for example, Curtoni invited all the downhill skiers – obviously including the Fanchinis – and the photographs of those two days captured the images of shared joy. Sofia, the third blue to take part in practice, stops. And she, as her true captain, agrees to rewind the tape of her memories. «It was devastating news on a day of joy for the results of the others, first for the gold of the Faith and then for that of the historic Martha… Tragic news that you would never want to receive, even though your heart knows that sooner or later will come but never wants to hear. I am thrown, I feel consumed by tears ». But now it’s necessary to click and throw yourself back into training because the key appointment is set for Saturday’s descent. «I will put something more into it, I will also compete for Elli. I dedicated my red bib for Cortina downhill to her but I didn’t have time to give it to her».